Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 31, 1995 TAG: 9503310072
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
J Gordon Bennett, 24, was arrested early Thursday and charged with speeding, attempting to elude a police officer, improper vehicle registration and driving with a suspended license, all misdemeanors.
The chase began after a Bedford police officer tried to stop a car for speeding around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday. The car took off, leading the officer on a 15-minute chase across the county, said Bedford Police Chief Milton Graham.
The chase ended when the driver lost control of the car in a field near Smith Mountain Lake, Graham said. The driver abandoned the car and fled into nearby woods, prompting officers to mount an all-night search.
Tracking dogs came up with nothing, but at 3 a.m. Thursday, a sheriff's deputy spotted a man hitchhiking. When the deputy approached, the man ran back into the woods.
About two hours later, the same deputy spotted Bennett getting into a car that had stopped to pick him up. The deputy stopped the car and arrested Bennett.
The abandoned car's license plates were registered in Bennett's name, but the car was not, Graham said.
by CNB