The Broome County Sheriff’s Strategic Response Group utilized drone technology and its K9 unit to successfully track down two fleeing suspects on foot following a high-speed vehicle pursuit in the City of Binghamton, the Town of Kirkwood and the Town of Windsor that ended with multiple felony drug charges, seven misdemeanors and over a dozen traffic violations.
On Thursday, December 11, 2025 at approximately 6:05 PM, Broome County Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol deputies observed a gold Ford F150 with an abnormally loud exhaust and an obstructed license plate in the City of Binghamton and attempted a routine traffic stop in the area of Downs Ave in the Town of Dickinson.
As BCSO patrols activated their emergency lights, the Ford F150 failed to comply, pulled out and began leading deputies on a multi-jurisdictional pursuit, traveling at a high rate of speed through Route 17 East in the City of Binghamton onto Interstate 81 South and into the Town of Kirkwood. During the pursuit, the fleeing vehicle reached speeds of approximately 100mph and weaved across multiple lanes before aggressively “brake checking” pursuing patrols in an apparent attempt to cause a collision and disable pursuing law enforcement vehicles.
The pursuit continued onto Dire Rd in the Town of Windsor, where the fleeing vehicle finally ran out of gas. Rather than pulling over, the driver veered off the roadway and drove through a field approximately 150 yards before getting stuck in the brush and coming to a stop.
Two individuals then exited the vehicle and fled on foot through the woods. Shortly after, members of the Broome County Sheriff’s Strategic Response Group arrived at the scene with K9 Raven and a UAV drone.
BCSO Road Patrols and the SRG K9 unit began tracking the suspects through the woods while another SRG member piloted the drone and assisted the ground team until they successfully took one of the fleeing suspects, Tod T. Archibald, age 63 of Starlight, PA, into custody.
After apprehending Archibald, pursuing patrols observed the remaining suspect on Riley Rd, moving toward other responding members of BCSO Road Patrol and relayed his location to nearby deputies. The deputies were able to take the second suspect and the driver, Ryan F. Dirig, age 42 of Long Eddy, NY, into custody, but not before he unsuccessfully attempted to enter a parked and locked BCSO patrol vehicle.
A witness reported that prior to being taken into custody, Dirig had entered a parked vehicle in a nearby residential driveway on Riley Rd, but was confronted by the homeowner and fled into the patrols that ultimately brought him in.
Over 6 grams of narcotics, including multiple baggies containing 3.2 grams of powdered cocaine, 2.2 grams of crack cocaine and .9 grams of a granular substance that tested positive for fentanyl, were found in Dirig’s possession at the time of his arrest.
Following an investigation, the driver, Ryan F. Dirig, was charged with the following:
– Two (2) Counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance w/ Intent to Sell in the 3rd Degree, a Class B Felony
– Attempted Grand Larceny in the 3rd Degree, a Class D Felony
– Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle in the 3rd Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor
– Obstruction of Governmental Administration in the 2nd Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor
– Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 7th Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor
– Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor
– Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the 2nd Degree, a Misdemeanor
– Reckless Driving, a Misdemeanor
– 16 other Traffic Violations
The passenger, Tod T. Archibald was charged with Obstruction of Governmental Administration in the 2nd Degree a Class A Misdemeanor.
“Outstanding teamwork and coordination by our Strategic Response Group, our K9 unit and our BCSO Road Patrol Deputies,” said Sheriff Fred Akshar. “Seeing our dedicated members of law enforcement skillfully utilize every tool at their disposal to bring those charged with peddling poison in our communities to justice should serve as a reassuring measure of relief to our community’s families and a warning to those who choose to sell drugs and try to run.”
