DECATUR — A driver who fled from police at speeds up to 90 mph across the city got away after officers said they broke off the pursuit for safety reasons.
But the 26-year-old male driver wasn’t destined to get far, and within 48 hours was under arrest.
A sworn affidavit from Decatur Police said the chase happened the night of March 7 after members of the police Community Action Team recognized the driver, spotted him getting into a car and knew he didn’t have a valid license.
Police said he took off after they tried to pull him over at the intersection of 16th and Clay streets. Officer Jacob Stewart, who signed the affidavit, said the pursuit hit speeds of 70 mph on Cantrell Street and 85 mph on Jasper Street. The driver then turned northbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive when his speed accelerated to 90 mph before Stewart said officers broke off the chase out of safety concerns.
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“(The driver) continued driving with no regard for innocent motorists on one of the busiest streets in the city,” added Stewart.
He said police found him March 9 at an address on East Whitmer Street and he was under arrest by 1:30 p.m. He was booked on a preliminary charge of aggravated fleeing and eluding and Macon County Jail records show he was released Tuesday after paying a $7,500 bond on bail set at $75,000.
All preliminary charges are subject to review by the state’s attorney’s office.
Updated mugshots from the Herald & Review
Joseph A. Williams
Joseph A. Williams faces preliminary charges of aggravated resisting a peace officer, obstruction of justice, possession of machine gun and weapon by a felon, aggravated discharge of a weapon and unlawful use of weapon, and attempted murder of a peace officer in connection with the shooting of a Decatur police officer on Jan. 8, 2022. READ MORE
William A. Hosea
William A. Hosea faces preliminary charges of reckless discharge of a firearm and endangering the life of a child in connection with the Jan. 6 shooting of a 3-year-old child. READ MORE
Randolph Hayes
Randolph Hayes is pleading not guilty to a charge of burglary. Prosecutors allege he stole a landline phone and then tried to sell it back to the victim. He was on parole at the time after having been convicted of an earlier burglary offense.
Byron D. Theus
Byron D. Theus Jr. is pleading not guilty to multiple counts of home invasion, armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping in connection with a home invasion the night of Nov. 20, 2018. READ MORE
Jetrevius O. Jarrett
Jetrevius O. Jarrett has been arrested on first-degree murder charges in connection with the fatal Christmas Eve shooting of Efrem O. Jones. READ MORE
Phillip Gehrken
Phillip J. Gehrken, 52, of Forsyth has pleaded not guilty to three alternate counts of first degree murder stemming from the July 11 fatal shooting of 51-year-old victim Kevin Cooper. READ THE STORY HERE.
Emmanuel White
Emmanuel White, 18, is charged in Moultrie County with two counts of armed violence, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful possession of a stolen/converted motor vehicle, possession of methamphetamine and defacing identification marks on a firearm. READ THE STORY
Defendant was sentenced to 36 months probation in November after pleading guilty to possession of a stolen firearm in a plea deal that saw all other charges dismissed. He was also sentenced to 149 days in jail with credit for 149 days already served.
Aaron L. Hand
Aaron L. Hand, 33, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Jan. 20 after pleading guilty to a charge of committing aggravated kidnapping while armed with a knife. The case dates to Jan. 13, 2021, when Hand, a registered sex predator, tried to abduct a female customer of the Macon gas station where he was then working.
Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid
