>>> MORGAN COUNTY
A man driving a Land Rover at dangerously high speeds along rural roads in western Morgan County was able to elude Morgan County deputies after he drove across a field and into the woods on Oct. 1.
A warrant has been obtained for the arrest of Lonnie Michael Tucker, 47, address unknown, who is charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft by receiving stolen property, driving while license suspended, failure to stop at a stop sign, driving on the wrong side of the road, no proof of insurance, no registration, affixing a tag to conceal the identity of a vehicle, unlawful use of a license plate, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving and aggressive driving.
According to reports, Deputy Patrick Carey attempted a traffic stop on two vehicles using the closed portion of Davis Academy Road, but the lead vehicle – a Land Rover – first appeared to be pulling over on Old Mill Road before suddenly accelerating and heading south on Old Mill.
Carey gave chase and learned the license plate was registered to a Nissan passenger car, which led Carey to believe the car or the license plate was stolen.
The Land Rover, allegedly driven by Tucker, continued to flee along Old Mill Road at speeds in excess of 85 mph before running a stop sign and turning right on Newborn Road.
According to the report, the driver of the Land Rover continued to drive aggressively, tailgating vehicles before making another right turn onto Sewell Church Road and a left on Sewell Road.
The pursuit continued into Newton County and the Land Rover turned right onto Hodges Circle. Other deputies joined the pursuit, and Deputy Thomas Cameron Ptak attempted to spin the Land Rover by making contact with it, but the driver of the Land Rover was able to maintain control and drove through a field at speeds in excess of 70 mph.
The Land Rover then passed through another field before heading into the wood line. Carey and other deputies continued to pursue on foot because they knew the Land Rover couldn’t continue for long in the wooded area. They discovered that the Land Rover turned right to drive parallel to a small creek before encountering a large limb that blocked its path.
Deputies learned that the driver of the vehicle was Tucker, according to a female passenger in the Land Rover. A records check revealed that Tucker’s license was suspended and that he also had active warrants out of Troup County, Rockdale County and South Carolina.
The female passenger, who was later released, said Tucker worked at a body shop owned by her family in Rockdale County.
The deputies then contacted the Covington man who owned the Nissan the Land Rover’s license plate was supposed to be on and learned that the Nissan was in a Rockdale County body shop being repaired, the same body shop where Tucker worked.
A Walton County Sheriff’s Office K-9 came to the scene and started a track on Tucker. The track continued for 1.5 miles out to Cooper Road before the K-9 lost the scent.