High Speed Chase Leads To Arrest
A 911 call around 10:00 am Sunday led Deputies and Highway Patrol on a vehicle pursuit and an arrest for kidnapping.
Newberry County 911 received a 911 call from a motorist on I-26 about a vehicle driving recklessly on I-26 West near the SC 219 interchange. A few minutes later the 911 Center received an open line call of a man pleading for help and begging to be let out of the car. He was able to tell a Telecommunications Officer he was near the Newberry exit.
As Deputies were approaching the area, a Newberry County EMS ambulance on SC 121 headed toward Whitmire observed a vehicle driving erratically and a person in the passenger seat making gestures. As they were approaching the Indian Creek area on SC 121, the male occupant was able to exit the vehicle and was picked up by the EMS crew. A short time later, a Deputy spotted the vehicle and attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle accelerated and refused to stop. The Deputy pursued the vehicle toward Whitmire.
As the chase entered town, a Whitmire City Police Officer successfully deployed a tire deflating device. As the tires were going flat, the pursuit continued into Union County and wrecked on the railroad tracks near Carlisle. The driver was taken into custody, taken to Union County Hospital and released to the Newberry County Detention Center.
It was determined that the male victim was waiting for a bus transfer at the Greyhound Terminal in Columbia and was offered a ride by the female to Greenville, SC. Shortly after getting on I-26 the female driver began acting aggressive toward the passenger and driving at a high rate of speed. At one point the driver assaulted the passenger with a hair brush. Once the ambulance got behind the vehicle, the passenger was able to pull the emergency break and jump from the vehicle as it slowed.
The vehicle was apparently stolen from the City of Columbia.
Arrested was April Dawn Smith, 35, of Ben Davis Rd. Grover, NC. She will be charged with Failure to Stop for Law Enforcement and Kidnapping. Smith is being held at the Newberry County Detention Center pending bond hearings and other charges.
A 911 call around 10:00 am Sunday led Deputies and Highway Patrol on a vehicle pursuit and an arrest for kidnapping.
Newberry County 911 received a 911 call from a motorist on I-26 about a vehicle driving recklessly on I-26 West near the SC 219 interchange. A few minutes later the 911 Center received an open line call of a man pleading for help and begging to be let out of the car. He was able to tell a Telecommunications Officer he was near the Newberry exit.
As Deputies were approaching the area, a Newberry County EMS ambulance on SC 121 headed toward Whitmire observed a vehicle driving erratically and a person in the passenger seat making gestures. As they were approaching the Indian Creek area on SC 121, the male occupant was able to exit the vehicle and was picked up by the EMS crew. A short time later, a Deputy spotted the vehicle and attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle accelerated and refused to stop. The Deputy pursued the vehicle toward Whitmire.
As the chase entered town, a Whitmire City Police Officer successfully deployed a tire deflating device. As the tires were going flat, the pursuit continued into Union County and wrecked on the railroad tracks near Carlisle. The driver was taken into custody, taken to Union County Hospital and released to the Newberry County Detention Center.
It was determined that the male victim was waiting for a bus transfer at the Greyhound Terminal in Columbia and was offered a ride by the female to Greenville, SC. Shortly after getting on I-26 the female driver began acting aggressive toward the passenger and driving at a high rate of speed. At one point the driver assaulted the passenger with a hair brush. Once the ambulance got behind the vehicle, the passenger was able to pull the emergency break and jump from the vehicle as it slowed.
The vehicle was apparently stolen from the City of Columbia.
Arrested was April Dawn Smith, 35, of Ben Davis Rd. Grover, NC. She will be charged with Failure to Stop for Law Enforcement and Kidnapping. Smith is being held at the Newberry County Detention Center pending bond hearings and other charges.
