“You can’t out run a radio”

By Greg Bird
birdman@tmcvoice.com

A Hellenwood man was arrested early Saturday morning after leading officers from three counties on a police chase with speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. With such high speeds involved, Michael J. Thompson, 36, was able to keep ahead of the chasing police cruisers for a while, but was unable to outrun police radios and was finally stopped in Pulaski County.
According to the arrest citation Trooper Keegan Bray was on duty when he learned Scott County officers were in pursuit of a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed around 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning. The suspect’s vehicle, described as a Ford Focus, was travelling northbound on U.S. 27 headed in to McCreary County and the Tennessee officers were requesting assistance from Kentucky units.
Trooper Bray, along with McCreary County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Chaney responded to the call and attempted to locate and intercept the speeding vehicle as it passed through Strunk.
Trooper Bray managed to clock the vehicle at 107 mph when he passed and joined the pursuit, which reached speeds on excess of 118 mph at some points. The driver refused to stop for officers and continued northbound to Pulaski County, where additional law enforcement officers were aware of the chase and preparing to intervene.
Pulaski County Deputies attempted to lay spike strips in its path at Tateville, but the driver managed to avoid the tire deflation devices and proceeded with officers following behind.
Further up the road members of the Somerset Police Department were waiting at the intersection of the 914 bypass and were successful with second deployment of spike strips in the vehicle’s path.
With tires deflated the vehicle slowed, but continued on, eventually turning down a side road before becoming disabled and stopping.
After having to be removed from the vehicle by officers, Thompson was arrested at the scene with no further incident.
Thompson is being lodged in the Leslie County Detention Center and charged with OUI, fleeing/evading, possession of methamphetamine, resisting arrest, assault, reckless driving, disregarding a traffic control signal, speeding 26mph or greater, and failure to wear seat belts.
Additional charges in both Kentucky and Tennessee are pending.