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WILKES-BARRE TWP. &mdash; A man who attempted to elude capture by Plymouth police by swimming across the Susquehanna River while fleeing a hit and run crash in August was at it again Monday night.
				Wilkes-Barre Township police say Thomas Worthy Painter, 25, of Fairview Drive, Nanticoke, initiated a pursuit and crashed into two occupied vehicles before colliding into a <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/810108/wb-township-chase-ends-in-crash-2-in-custody" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">support pole in the East End Centre </a>shopping center just after 7 p.m.
				Painter was arrested after he fled the wrecked vehicle, police said.
				Police said a passenger, Cassidy Muhlbauer, 26, was caught as she fled and jailed on an unrelated warrant.
				A loaded .45-caliber handgun was found in the wrecked vehicle and Painter was in possession of methamphetamine, police said.
				Painter was free on bail related to his alleged <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/797605/police-fleeing-suspect-swam-across-river-to-avoid-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">escape attempt from Plymouth police</a> who were chasing him after he crashed a motorcycle into an occupied vehicle at West Main and Washington streets, Plymouth, on Aug. 18. Painter abandoned the motorcycle and swam across the river into Hanover Township where he was arrested, according to court records.
				According to the criminal complaint from Monday&rsquo;s incident:
				A township officer while patrolling Highland Park Boulevard became suspicious of a Ford Taurus that had mounted spot lights on the front, which appeared to be an undercover law enforcement vehicle.
				The officer later noticed the Ford parked and a female passenger who was not in uniform with the vehicle&rsquo;s brake lights illuminated.
				Painter, who was identified as the driver of the Ford, drove away and turned onto Heinz Drive where a traffic stop was initiated.
				Police in the complaint say Painter accelerated passing through a stop sign and into the parking lot of East End Centre, where he struck two occupied vehicles before crashing into a support pole near Big Lots.
				Several people in front of the store had to jump out of the way, police said.
				Painter exited the Ford and ran through the parking lot and arrested. Muhlbauer also fled the Ford and was later captured.
				Witnesses to the crash told police a third person also fled the wrecked Ford.
				Police said they found the loaded handgun on the front passenger floor and 3.8 grams of methamphetamine in Painter&rsquo;s pants pocket, the complaint says.
				Police charged Painter with three counts of reckless endangerment, two counts each of accidents involving damage to attended vehicle and failure to stop and render aid, and one count each of illegal possession of a firearm, firearms not to be carried without a license, carrying a loaded weapon, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended license, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement and careless driving.
				In unrelated cases, Painter was also charged by Nanticoke police with failing to return a 2006 Audi A4 to its owner on Sept. 7, and Hanover Township police charged Painter with selling heroin and fentanyl from a residence on East Grand Street, Nanticoke, on Sept. 24.
				Painter was arraigned by District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz in Luzerne County Central Court on the three separate criminal complaints and jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $75,000 total bail.

Loaded handgun, meth found after crash in Wilkes-Barre Township shopping center