MORGAN COUNTY
A Union City man was arrested by Morgan County deputies on March 10 following a pursuit on I-20 that reached speeds of 130 mph.
Jose Cortez-Sanchez, 26, faces charges of reckless driving, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement officers, failure to maintain lane and theft by receiving stolen property.
According to reports obtained from the MCSO, local law enforcement was notified by Columbia County that Sanchez was fleeing law enforcement at speeds approaching 130 mph.
Deputy Cameron Pound and Madison Police Officer Travis Stubbs deployed spike strips and took out the front passenger tire, but Sanchez continued to flee. Pound was advised that executing a PIT maneuver wasn’t an option due to safety concerns.
According to Pound’s account, as he attempted to make contact with the F-250 to force it off the road, Sanchez locked up his brakes when Pound was less than a foot from the truck, causing the deputy’s patrol unit to “plow into the rear of the vehicle with little time to react.” Pound then steered into the left rear of the vehicle and forced it into a ditch.
Sanchez was pulled from the truck and placed under arrest. The Georgia State Patrol was called to work the accident.
According to Deputy J. Boltman of the CCSO, who was the original deputy in pursuit, Boltman had chased Sanchez for approximately 75 miles.