Law Enforcement involved in car chase Saturday night

            Law enforcement agencies across Wayne County were involved in the chase of Christopher Dale Prince, 37, of Camden, TN, on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 12. Waynesboro Police Officer Charles Crosslin first made contact with Prince after receiving a domestic disturbance call at a residence in the 600 block of Highway 13 South. Officer Crosslin arrived at the residence and pulled in the driveway behind a silver vehicle. When he got out of his patrol car, Prince left the scene at a high rate of speed, striking a mailbox. Officer Crosslin returned to his vehicle, engaged his siren and chased Prince, who increased his speed and failed to stop. During the chase, Prince forced two vehicles off the roadway by coming up behind them at a high rate of speed, closely passing them. Prince’s vehicle reached speeds in excess of 100mph and according to the Waynesboro Police report, Officer Crosslin backed off the vehicle due to its reckeless speed and lost sight of it in Collinwood, where Prince reportedly stole a pickup truck from the Hassell & Hughes Lumber Company and continued down Highway 13 South.

            Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Byrd was stationary at Chisholm Road when the pickup truck passed him and Deputy David Pigg coming out of Collinwood. Deputy Byrd activated his lights and sirens, but Prince failed to stop and also failed to maintain his lane by driving on the wrong side of the road. Prince also ran two vehicles off the road and also ran Collinwood Chief David Martin off the road as he was in pursuit near the intersection of Natchez Trace and Chisholm Road. Prince drove the truck off the road, through a ditch and behind some houses into a field, and continued into a thicket where it hit a tree and came to an abrupt stop. Deputy Byrd hit the pickup truck in the rear bumper on the driver’s side and arrested Prince.

            Prince was found to be driving on a suspended license and Deputy Byrd found a knife with a blade over six inches long on the floor board of the vehicle. Tennessee Highway Patrolman Travis Prater, who responded to the accident, found Prince asleep in the back of the deputy’s patrol car. According to Patrolman Prater’s report, Prince’s speech was slurred and his eyes were pinpointed, and Prince had told a deputy that he took Xanax pills. Patrolman Prater asked Prince to perform a field sobriety test, but he refused. He was also asked to consent to a chemical analysis of his blood, but refused that action as well.

            Prince has been charged by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office with Felony Evading Arrest, Driving on a Suspended License, Resisting Stop and Arrest, Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, and four counts of Reckless Endangerment. Tennessee Highway Patrol has charged Prince with Driving Under the Influence, and additional charges are expected to be filed by the Collinwood Police Department, including the theft of a truck from Hassell & Hughes lumber company. Prince was booked into the Wayne County Jail on $50,000 bond, but due to pending charges, his bond is expected to increase. More information on Prince’s arrest will be published as it becomes available.

21,800 Marijuana plants seized throughout County

            The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, led by Drug Investigator Charlie Mosley and Sergeant Walter Smith, teamed up with the Tennessee Marijuana Task Force to spend the week of June 24 – 27, 2013 searching the County for marijuana plants. In just three and a half days, the team seized 21,800 plants, mostly found in the south part of Wayne County. Some of the plants were immature, but many were mature plants that have a street value of $800 to $1,000 each.  Marijuana has been on the rise in Wayne County over the last few years, although it is mostly grown indoors.