Wild chase ends with suspect behind bars | Free News
A Laurel man who led several law enforcement agencies on a wild, multi-county, nearly 40-mile chase is behind bars facing at least two felonies after being taken into custody on Thursday afternoon.
William “Mac” Carmichael III, 31, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and felony fleeing after he was arrested on Highway 15, just north of Montrose, in Jasper County, Chief Tommy Cox of the Laurel Police Department said.
It all started with a call at approximately 4 p.m. about a red Dodge Ram being driven erratically around one of the downtown roundabouts — going round and round with the emergency flashers on. When an LPD unit approached, the truck took off at a high rate of speed up 6th Avenue, Cox said. The chase went up 7th Avenue and Old Bay Springs Road, with a few laps around the Corner Market parking lot off Audubon Drive. It was there that the driver steered toward Heath Blancett of the LPD, Cox said.
“Thankfully, he wasn’t struck,” Cox said.
From there, the truck traveled up Highway 15 North into Jasper County, through Bay Springs and Louin before finally wrecking and being stopped by a Jasper County unit in the north part of the county.
LPD units were called off the active chase, but a couple still followed along as the Jones County and Jasper County sheriff’s departments, Bay Springs Police Department and Mississippi Highway Patrol joined in and Newton County deputies were on their way south to help stop the pickup as it was approaching that county, Cox said.
Carmichael was taken into custody and booked into the Jones County Adult Detention Center. He made his initial appearance in Laurel Municipal Court over the weekend and Judge Kyle Robertson set his bond at $40,000. He remained behind bars as of early Monday afternoon. Carmichael and his wife reportedly had a premature baby who was recently released from the hospital. Several sources said that drugs may have been involved but the charges don’t indicate that.
“We appreciate all of the agencies that assisted,” Cox said. “It’s ridiculous for anyone to act like this. I don’t like pursuits, but he obviously didn’t need to be on the road. I’m thankful it ended with no one getting hurt.”
Carmichael may face charges from other agencies that were involved in the chase, too.
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