Friday, December 19, 2003
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Friday, December 19, 2003 |
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Truck thief caught after high-speed chase starting in Tyrone By JOHN MUNFORD After stealing a truck in Peachtree City, a brazen thief led police on a chase from Tyrone all the way to the Sylvan Road exit on I-85 in Hapeville Wednesday morning. The driver, Charles Hamilton Heard, 41, of Atlanta, ditched the vehicle after wrecking it and fleeing into a wooded area, police said. A host of law enforcement officers swarmed the scene and established a perimeter around the wooded area to him Heard in. In the end, a K-9 tracking dog from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department located Heard, who gave up when the dog found him, said Tyrone Police Chief Johnny Hay. A Georgia State Patrol helicopter equipped with an infrared camera was also used in the search, Hay said. Heard was charged with fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving and theft of a motor vehicle. The chase began after a description of the stolen vehicle was broadcast to area agencies. Two Tyrone officers spotted the vehicle on Ga. Highway 74 and attempted to stop it at Jenkins Road, but the vehicle sped away, Hay said. Fayette County deputies joined the pursuit and other south Fulton agencies helped with the search, including the College Park, Hapeville and Fairburn police departments, the Fulton County sheriff’s department and the GSP. The pursuit reached 120 miles per hour at times, police reported. The vehicle, a blue 1993 GMC Jimmy truck, had a broken window but it was unclear if this is how the vehicle was entered before it was stolen.
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