On Wednesday, February 5, 2020 Navarro County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Kris Matthews and Deputy Espinosa were dispatched to a welfare concern on the sleeping driver of a white Chrysler 300 parked in the roadway in the 1500 block of NW 0020 Corsicana.
Prior to the deputies arrival, a second caller reported the same vehicle being parked in a very dangerous location.
Upon the deputies arrival, they initially spoke to the driver and we're attempting to identify him and evaluate the situation when he placed the running vehicle into gear. The deputies ordered the driver to stop as he began to drive away.
As the driver was attempting to drive away he partially drug both deputies with the vehicle almost running over Sgt. Matthews. The driver then drove away from the deputies who initiated their emergency lights on their departmental vehicles in an attempt to stop the driver.
The driver refused to stop and additional units responded to the area for assistance. During the vehicle pursuit spike strips were deployed first by the NCSO and then later by CPD officers in an attempt to stop the pursuit.
The deputies reported they saw the suspect possibly discarding narcotics evidence out the window during the pursuit. The suspect vehicle eventually turned Southbound into the Northbound lane of North Business 45 at Roane Road in Corsicana.
NCSO Captain Jeramy Phillips observed that the vehicle was erratically driving into oncoming traffic and believing the public to be in immediate danger, he used his departmental vehicle to push the suspect vehicle off the roadway thus ending the pursuit.
The suspect was originally taken into custody for felony evading arrest in a vehicle and he now has an additional charge of aggravated assault on public servant with a deadly weapon.
I commend the actions of our deputies today during this dangerous situation and I also want to thank the Corsicana Police Department officers who immediately came to assist with this dangerous situation.
Sheriff Elmer Tanner