Two Stratford residents are facing charges after a car sped away from a RIDE stop early Thursday morning.

Perth County OPP were conducting a RIDE program in Monkton, south of Listowel, when a car was stopped around 2 a.m. Thursday.  An officer spoke to the man behind the wheel and asked him to pull to the side of the road.  Instead of pulling to the shoulder, the driver drove off at a high rate of speed.

Police discovered the car a short time later in the ditch along Perth Road 119, several kilometres away.  The driver and a female passenger left the car and ran into a field to avoid being caught by police.  The Emergency Response team and a canine unit were requested in to assist the officers with the search.

Around 7 a.m., a local resident called police, alerting the search team as to the possible location of the suspects.  Officers responding to the area quickly spotted a man and woman and arrested them after a brief foot chase.

A 26-year-old Stratford man has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime, dangerous driving, flight from police, driving while under suspension and a number of other offences.

A 20-year-old female, also from Stratford, is facing a charge of possession of property obtained by crime, and will appear in court in August.