It may be a while before a Grove City man is back in Warren County to face the charges filed against him.

Given the circumstances, it’s not a bad thing. Keeping the man in Warren County after he twice fled from police officers on June 7 who tried to pull his vehicle over in Youngsville recently wasn’t worth the increasingly dangerous situation the traffic stop was creating.

Zion A. Scriven, 28, has been charged with misdemeanor charges of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, flight to avoid apprehension/trial/punishment, possession/sales/use of display documents and illegally operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock as well as 14 traffic citations after leading police on a chase in Youngsville before officers called off the pursuit because of the possible danger to Youngsville residents who were outdoors at the time.

“A pursuit was not initiated and attempts to locate the vehicle by Conewango Police and the Pennsylvania State Police were unsuccessful,” the affidavit states. “The driver of the vehicle was operating recklessly and carelessly on the streets within Youngsville Borough, all while citizens were outside in their yards and walking the streets.”

The officer made the right call.

A 2023 report released by the Police Executive Research Forum, a national think tank on policing standards, states police chases should be rare, noting that the danger to suspects, officers and bystanders often outweighs the immediate need to take someone into custody.

“A lot of this has to do with the new thinking in policing today, which is about proportionality,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of PERF. “It’s about the sanctity of life and balancing the risk to everyone. Police officers die in pursuits. Suspects die in pursuits and even citizens can be injured or die.”

We can’t disagree. Officers were able to identify Scriven from his license plate and cameras outside Youngsville Elementary School, and charges against him are on file. In the grand scheme of things, the traffic citations weren’t worth potential injury to the officers, Youngsville residents who were enjoying a Saturday afternoon or to Scriven himself.