A teen who had an issue with the police and led them on a pursuit has been sentenced to 20 days in jail.
The suspect, Bailey Harris Briest, 19, entered guilty pleas before General Sessions Judge Bill Locke to charges of reckless endangerment and evading arrest for the short chase that ensued after the teen allegedly hurled profanities and an object at a passing police car. He was directed to serve 20 days of an 11-month, 29-day sentence with the rest of his term to be spent on probation. He must also pay $100 plus costs and perform 40 hours public service work.
“I heard an unknown object hit the side of my police vehicle,” said McMinnville Police Sgt. Kenneth Seagraves, noting he saw a 2002 Taurus traveling northbound at that moment and then saw Briest’s face. “As the vehicle passed I saw the driver, Bailey Briest, shouting ‘f… the police.’”
Seagraves turned on his lights and tried to pull over the driver. However, the suspect refused to stop.
“He accelerated the vehicle in an effort to avoid me,” Seagraves said, adding the vehicle turned from Smithville Highway onto Needmore Road. “I got close enough to observe the tag on the vehicle.”
Seagraves said he called off the pursuit once he got the tag number. However, Briest kept speeding away, running a stop sign before running into a field.
“Upon entering the field, all the passengers and Mr. Briest immediately exited the vehicle and ran from the scene,” Seagraves recalled.
The suspects were able to avoid apprehension at the scene. Seagraves, who had already identified Briest as the driver, then went and spoke to the owner of a car he had used to run from police. She confirmed she had loaned him her vehicle. He had told her he was running an errand for his grandmother.
Seagraves later discovered Briest’s driver license was suspended because he had failed to pay court costs on an earlier moving violation. It is unknown what Briest threw at the police car to begin the chase.