A man faces charges after he tried to eat the evidence after leading lawmen on a chase.The suspect, Charles D. Merriman, 37, is charged with tampering with evidence and evading arrest, both felonies, along with felony domestic assault for a separate incident. He will face hearing Nov. 15.The chase which landed Merriman in jail started on Meiser Lane when deputy Jared Jacobs saw the suspect driving his 1992 Ford Ranger in an erratic manner, going so far as to drift into oncoming traffic as he hit Circle Hill Drive. The deputy tried to pull the suspect over, but Merriman refused to stop.“He was observed reaching out the driver-side window and crumpling something in his hand in an effort to destroy the substance,” Jacobs recalled of the 10 a.m. chase through the densely populated subdivision.The deputy stayed behind the suspect for about half a mile before he pulled over at On the Way Market on Smithville Highway.“Upon approaching the vehicle, the driver was observed to be in the process of consuming what appeared to be marijuana,” said Jacobs, noting he hurried to prevent the suspect from swallowing the evidence.