A man and a woman wanted on outstanding warrants in neighbouring communities have been arrested after police spotted a stolen vehicle near Merlin.

The Chatham-Kent Police Service said an officer on general patrol on Haskell Road was alerted by an Automatic License Plate Reader of a stolen vehicle at around 3:15 a.m. on Thursday.

Other officers responded to the scene but the driver stopped the vehicle and took off running. Officers reacted quickly and were able to safely take the man into custody.

A woman, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was also found hiding in a nearby ditch and was arrested.

As a result, a 31-year-old Windsor man and a 38-year-old Sarnia woman are both charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000. The man is additionally charged with dangerous driving.

Both of the accused were also wanted on outstanding warrants issued by police in Sarnia and Windsor. They were taken to police headquarters and held for a bail hearing.