GREENE COUNTY
A South Carolina man, who was originally a passenger in a car pulled over for a window tint violation, slid into the driver’s seat and took off down I-20 in Greene County in the early morning hours of March 17. He was arrested on March 21 by another agency and transported back to Greene County.
Taparrish Javontre Sims, 29, of 221 Whillies Street, Batesburg, South Carolina, is being charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, speeding, obstruction of law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance, violation of headlight requirements and driving while license suspended.
According to a report obtained from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Lt. Patrick Paquette conducted the original traffic stop near milepost 139.5 eastbound and approached the vehicle on the passenger’s side to make contact with the occupants.
According to Paquette’s account, the deputy immediately smelled the overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from within the vehicle. Paquette asked the driver for his driver’s license and the registration on the vehicle, and Paquette noticed the driver was so nervous that he had a cigarette in his mouth backward.
The front-seat passenger opened the glove box to retrieve the registration, and Paquette observed a large clear plastic bag of what appeared to be marijuana in the glove box, according to the report.
At that point, Paquette asked the driver to step out of the vehicle.
The driver was identified as Anthony Cortez Burton, and he was placed into handcuffs by TFO Shehee.
When Paquette opened the passenger’s door, he observed more bags of marijuana and a gun in the passenger’s side floorboard of the vehicle.
Paquette ordered the front seat passenger – later identified as Sims – to put his hands on the dashboard several times, but he would not comply, according to the report.
When Paquette attempted to remove Sims from the vehicle, he pulled away, jumped into the driver’s seat and fled in the vehicle.
Paquette said a vehicle pursuit was initiated, but Sims turned off his headlights while driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph on I-20.
Sims then left Greene County, and Taliaferro County deputies took over the pursuit at milepost 144. Dispatch advised Paquette that Taliaferro deputies deployed stop sticks at milepost 153, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
According to the report, Sims left I-20 at Exit 154, and contact was lost with the vehicle.
Shehee recovered a bag of marijuana that had previously been removed from the vehicle and turned it over to Paquette at the sheriff’s office.
Burton was transported to the jail and later told Paquette that he and Sims had gone to Cumberland Mall in Atlanta so Sims could get a Father’s Day outfit with Burton driving because Sims did not have a license. Burton said the vehicle belonged to a relative of Sims.
Paquette contacted the Batesburg-Leesville Police Department and spoke to Sgt. Michalko, who said his department was familiar with Sims and sent a photo with his identifying information Paquette then confirmed Sims was the person who fled the traffic stop at speeds of over 120 mph.
Sims on the lam for three days before being picked up by another law enforcement agency not identified by the GCSO.