Wanted man arrested after 2-county high-speed chase

Photo byNowHabersham.com

A man wanted in three counties found himself behind bars following a dramatic chase through Habersham and Stephens counties Thursday night, March 14, sheriff’s office officials say.

It all began when a Habersham County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to pull over a Yamaha motorcycle at 10:17 p.m. on GA 365 southbound near Demorest’s Double Bridge Road. Ignoring the attempt, officials say the motorcycle sped off, turning north onto GA 365 at “very high rates of speed,” prompting a pursuit, according to a press release from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office.

The chase continued north on GA 365, weaving through the construction zone at Hulsey Road and onto Dicks Hill Parkway and Ayersville Road near Hazel Grove Elementary School. After briefly doubling back past Ben Loudermilk Road, the pursuit pressed on.

Deputies wreck

During the chase, two Habersham County sheriff’s patrol vehicles sustained damage in two incidents on Ayersville Road. Georgia State Patrol Post 7 Toccoa is investigating those wrecks.

The fleeing motorcyclist continued to evade authorities, navigating through Dicks Hill Parkway, Rock Road, Antioch Church Road, and Talmadge Drive, eventually entering Stephens County, said Habersham County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Rob Moore.

“Habersham County and Stephens County deputies continued to pursue the motorcycle into and through Toccoa, crossing GA 365 at Jeanette Jamieson Intersection, where Habersham County units called off the pursuit,” said Moore.

Stephens County deputies and the state troopers continued pursuing the motorcycle on Dick’s Hill Parkway toward Habersham County, losing contact with it.

“After an extensive search involving K-9 units and a drone, the man was located off Ben Loudermilk Road and taken into custody without further incident,” said Moore.

The motorcyclist, whom law enforcement has not yet publicly identified, now faces charges from all three agencies involved in the pursuit. He also faces outstanding warrants in the three counties where he was wanted before the chase. However, Moore did not say what those charges are.

Moore said no one was injured.

Now Habersham has contacted the Georgia State Patrol for more information, but Post 7 officials have not responded.

Third chase this month

This is at least the third high-speed chase in Habersham County this month.

On March 4, a Demorest man shot and killed himself after leading Clarkesville and Demorest police and a Habersham County deputy on a high-speed chase, according to the GBI.

Four days later, on March 8, state troopers from Hall County pursued a driver into Habersham County after he fled from a traffic stop, the state patrol said. The chase ended when Demorest police officers deployed stop sticks. The driver was arrested and charged with trafficking meth, among other charges.