The Portage County Police UFO Chase of 1966

In the early morning hours of April 17, 1966, Deputy Sheriff Dale Spaur and Deputy Wilbur “Barney” Neff encountered a luminous, disc-shaped object while investigating an abandoned car in Portage County, Ohio. What followed was an 85-minute, 85-mile high-speed chase across two states as the officers pursued the object from Ohio into Pennsylvania, joined by police from multiple jurisdictions. The chase was monitored on police radio by numerous departments and witnessed by civilians along the route. The case became one of the most dramatic UFO incidents of the 1960s - and ultimately destroyed Deputy Spaur’s life.

The Officers

Deputy Sheriff Dale Spaur

The primary witness:

• Portage County Sheriff’s Office
• Experienced deputy
• On routine patrol
• Career law enforcement
• Life changed forever

Deputy Wilbur “Barney” Neff

Spaur’s partner:

• Also witnessed entire event
• Corroborated account
• Professional observer
• Participated in chase
• Consistent testimony

Officer Wayne Huston

Conway, Pennsylvania police:

• Joined pursuit
• Independent observer
• Saw same object
• Different jurisdiction
• Confirmed sighting

Officer Frank Panzanella

Conway police:

• Also witnessed object
• Fourth officer
• End of chase witness
• Watched ascent
• Filed report

The Encounter

Initial Sighting

5:00 AM, April 17, 1966:

• Spaur and Neff investigating abandoned car
• Brilliant light approached from west
• Object stopped overhead
• Illuminated entire area
• Not a helicopter, not a plane

The Object Description

What they observed:

• Disc-shaped
• Approximately 40-50 feet diameter
• Brilliant luminosity
• Structured appearance
• Dome on top

The Light

Its quality:

• Bright enough to illuminate ground
• Steady, not flashing
• Self-luminous
• Intense but not blinding
• Unlike any known source

The Chase

The Pursuit Begins

What happened:

• Object began moving east
• Spaur and Neff followed
• Radioed dispatcher
• High-speed pursuit
• Object maintained distance

Across Two States

The route:

• Started in Portage County, Ohio
• Through multiple Ohio counties
• Crossed into Pennsylvania
• Ended near Conway
• 85 miles covered

The Speed

How fast:

• Officers driving 80-100 mph
• Object staying ahead
• Matching their speed
• Sometimes hovering
• Always in sight

Radio Monitoring

The communications:

• Multiple departments heard pursuit
• Dispatchers tracking
• Real-time updates
• Professional exchange
• Documented on radio logs

Other Witnesses

Officer Wayne Huston

His role:

• Heard pursuit on radio
• Positioned himself ahead
• Saw object approaching
• Confirmed description
• Joined chase

Civilians

Along the route:

• Multiple witnesses
• Saw object pass
• Saw police in pursuit
• Corroborating testimony
• Independent observers

The Pattern

What was established:

• Multiple officers, multiple jurisdictions
• Consistent description
• Same object tracked
• Radio documentation
• Independent confirmation

The End of the Chase

Conway, Pennsylvania

Final location:

• Object stopped
• Officers observed it hovering
• Officer Panzanella arrived
• Four officers now watching
• Final moments

The Ascent

What happened:

• Object began rising
• Straight up
• Accelerating
• Against dawn sky
• Vanished at altitude

Officers’ Reaction

After 85 minutes:

• Exhausted
• Amazed
• Certain of what they saw
• Filed reports
• Awaited investigation

Official Response

Project Blue Book

Air Force investigation:

• Case reported
• Major Hector Quintanilla
• Investigated briefly
• Explanation offered

The Explanation

What Blue Book claimed:

• Satellite observation
• Venus in morning sky
• Misidentification
• Case closed

The Problem

Why the explanation failed:

• Satellites don’t hover
• Venus doesn’t outrun patrol cars
• Four officers not confused
• 85-minute observation
• Explanation insulting

The Human Cost

Deputy Dale Spaur

What happened to him:

• Ridiculed
• Marriage collapsed
• Lost job
• Health deteriorated
• Life destroyed

The Price of Truth

His experience:

• Told the truth
• Filed honest report
• Was mocked for it
• Career ended
• Died broken

The Other Officers

Their fate:

• Also affected
• Careers impacted
• Personal cost
• Less documented
• Pattern clear

Analysis

Why This Case Matters

The evidence:

• Four police officers
• 85-mile pursuit
• 85-minute duration
• Multiple jurisdictions
• Radio documentation

The Credibility

What makes it strong:

• Law enforcement witnesses
• Independent confirmation
• Extended observation
• Consistent descriptions
• Professional training

The Question

April 17, 1966. 5:00 AM. Portage County, Ohio.

Dale Spaur is a deputy sheriff. He’s investigating an abandoned car. Routine call. Nothing special.

Then the light comes.

From the west. Brilliant. Getting closer. Stopping overhead. Illuminating everything.

He looks up and sees it. A disc. Fifty feet across. Glowing. Real.

His partner Barney Neff sees it too.

They radio dispatch. They give chase.

For the next 85 minutes, across 85 miles, through multiple counties, across state lines, they pursue something impossible. Other officers join. Civilians see it. Radio departments track it.

Four police officers. Not hysterical civilians. Not attention seekers. Cops.

The object stays ahead. Sometimes stops. Sometimes hovers. Always visible. Always there.

Then, near Conway, Pennsylvania, it stops for the last time.

The four officers watch.

It rises. Straight up. Against the morning sky.

And it’s gone.

They file their reports. They tell the truth. They’re professionals.

The Air Force says they saw Venus.

Venus.

For 85 minutes. Through 85 miles. Four police officers chasing Venus across two states.

The officers are mocked. Dale Spaur loses everything. His job. His marriage. His health. His life, eventually.

The price of telling the truth.

The Portage County chase.

Four cops. 85 miles. 85 minutes.

And an explanation that explained nothing.

Dale Spaur knew what he saw.

He paid for knowing.

And the object?

Still unexplained.

Still impossible.

Still up there somewhere.