A man who led deputies on a chase with two underage passengers in his SUV has been granted probation.
The driver, Clinton L. Smith, 24, entered a guilty plea to charges of resisting arrest and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was directed by General Sessions Judge Bill Locke to be on probation for a year but was granted a judicial diversion. The diversion means he can have his criminal record erased once he is through with probation. He must also pay a $50 plus court costs fine and undergo a drug and alcohol assessment.
He was arrested after sheriff’s investigator Jody Cavanaugh tried to pull him over just before midnight last Friday on Crisp Springs Road. The suspect was able to elude authorities briefly but was found on Short Mountain Road.
“I caught back up to it as it pulled into a yard, running over a homemade trailer a yard off Short Mountain Road,” revealed deputy Jared Jacobs, noting he yelled at the suspect, saying he was a law enforcement officer and to stop. “He ran while I took the juvenile into custody.”
Jacobs said one of the two juveniles stayed at the scene and was taken into custody, given his condition.
“The juvenile arrested on the scene was highly intoxicated,” the deputy said, noting alcohol containers were found inside the wreckage of Smith’s Ford SUV. Jacobs said he was able to get the name of the other juvenile and also took out petitions on him.
Smith eventually turned himself in to authorities and was charged. He offered an excuse for his behavior.
“A stated he just got scared and made a mistake,” Jacobs said.