Ironwood woman's police chase trial begins

BESSEMER — The first day of the trial of an Ironwood woman accused of fleeing the police ended Tuesday with both sides resting their cases in Gogebic County Circuit Court, leaving just closing arguments and deliberations prior to the verdict.

Gina Marie Ransanici, 41, of Aspen Street, is facing one felony count of third degree fleeing a police officer; and two misdemeanors — reckless driving and operating a vehicle without a license on her person. The felony carries a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison, while the misdemeanors carry potential maximum sentences of 93 days and 90 days in jail respectively.

The charge stems from an incident on Oct. 25, 2016, when authorities allege Ransanici attempted to flee Ironwood Public Safety Department officer Jamie Chiapuzio.

Chiapuzio, one of three prosecution witnesses in the case, testified he pulled up behind Ransanici’s vehicle on Curry Street, north of U.S. 2. According to Chiapuzio’s testimony, Ransanici quickly turned right onto the highway as he pulled up behind her, cutting off several cars.

“As I came up behind the vehicle; the vehicle went into a high rate of acceleration, turned right onto U.S. 2 cutting off the westbound traffic (and) forcing the to stop,” Chiapuzio testified.

She then turned left into the empty Daydream Donuts driveway, according to Chiapuzio, before reversing the car in what he testified was interpreted as an attempt to hide behind the building.

“At that point, I started to think that something a little more was going on than just an inexperienced driver that was nervous,” he said.

Chiapuzio testified Ransanici then pulled back onto the highway, heading east before turning right onto Curry Street heading into the city of Ironwood.

He testified he continued to pursue the vehicle, as it ran through a stop sign at the intersection with East Lake Avenue and turned right onto West Lake Avenue.

On Lake Avenue, Chiapuzio testified he saw the car then break quickly and skid to a stop.

He said the entire interaction up to this point lasted roughly a minute.

He also testified regarding the subsequent traffic stop, saying Ransanici told him she stopped the vehicle once she realized he was behind her and she initially drove the way she did because she didn’t want to be arrested for visiting her in-laws.

He also said she was somewhat uncooperative during the stop; testifying she initially refused to leave the vehicle and, at one point, locked herself in the car.

“She wasn’t overly argumentative, she wasn’t resistant in any way — physically or anything like that — but she just was argumentative,” Chiapuzio testified.

He also testified while she was a licensed driver, she didn’t have any of the necessary documentation on her during the stop.

During his cross-examination, Ransanici’s attorney, Rudy Perhalla, questioned Chiapuzio about the specifics about the interaction and stop — including how long Chiapuzio was actually driving behind Ransanici. Chiapuzio acknowledged he was directly only behind Ransanici while driving on Lake Avenue, but said she couldn’t drive the way she did regardless of where he was.

IPSD Sgt. Matt Sterbenz and Scott Erickson — who was outside working on his Lake Avenue house and witnessed the stop — also testified for the prosecution. Sterbenz assisted Chiapuzio with the stop; photographing the scene and measuring the skid marks from her vehicle, which he measured to be roughly 90 feet. Erickson witnessed the stop, testifying that Ransanici was driving faster than the speed limit on Lake Avenue before skidding to a stop and that she wasn’t entirely cooperative during the stop.

Once the prosecution rested, Ransanici testified in her defense.

She said she was coming from her in-laws when she turned onto U.S. 2 toward her mother’s house in Hurley and realized she didn’t have her phone. She said she pulled into the Daydream Donuts to look for it, pulling back onto the highway and Curry Street to head to her house to see if it was there.

She testified she immediately stopped her vehicle on Lake Avenue when she realized Chiapuzio was behind her, and she hadn’t been aware of any attempt to pull her over prior to that.

“I’m sure I stopped because I heard the siren,” Ransanici testified, rebutting Chiapuzio’s testimony he believed she stopped because there were parked vehicles in the street and kids playing basketball were blocking the street. She later testified, when cross-examined, there were kids playing in the street farther down the block too.

During her cross-examination, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Tracie Wittla questioned Ransanici regarding why she was taking Curry Street to Lake Avenue to her house in Norrie Location, rather than continuing on Curry as a more direct route.

“It’s definitely not the straightest (route), no,” Ransanici acknowledged, but said she took various routes home.

Wittla also questioned how she failed to see Chiapuzio’s vehicle, with its lights on, on U.S. 2 after she testified she looked both ways before leaving the Daydream Donuts driveway.