EASTLAKE, Ohio (AP) — An 18-year-old had successfully eluded officers in northeast Ohio, but a search for his missing hat led him back into the hands of police.

Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (http://bit.ly/1FpNJt1 ) officers in Eastlake tried to stop Otha Montgomery for running a red light Tuesday morning.

Authorities say Montgomery sped up when an officer pursued him, then pulled into a driveway and ran away on foot.

Police say Montgomery was stopped later and told officers he was walking to a friend's house. They didn't arrest him.

Montgomery later returned to the scene where the pursuit ended to retrieve his lost hat. After giving officers there a detailed description of the missing hat, police found it in a flowerbed and arrested him.

Court records don't list an attorney for Montgomery.

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Information from: Northeast Ohio Media Group, http://www.cleveland.com