A sheriff’s department deputy suffered minor injuries after he crashed his patrol car during a pursuit on Cookeville Highway early Tuesday Morning.

Deputy Joseph Carroll was transported to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital by DeKalb EMS after the crash, and was treated for cuts and bruises, then released. The incident occurred near Hurricane Bridge on Highway 56 at approximately 2 a.m. on Jan. 12 after Carroll initiated the pursuit of a suspicious vehicle at Lakeside Resort. He apparently lost control of his cruiser and made contact with a guardrail and tree.

Joseph Wayne Judd, 33, of Doyle was arrested by the THP after the crash, and was allegedly found to be in possession of 7.7 grams of methamphetamine.

According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, central dispatch received a call from Lakeside Resort that there were trespassers on the property at 1:41 a.m. “They asked us to come and check it out, and two deputies from the Sheriff's Department, Officers Carroll and Stephen Barrett, responded to the call,” Ray said.

“As the deputies entered one of the parking lots at Lakeside, they saw a vehicle stop and then proceed to approach them,” the sheriff continued. “When the vehicle passed them, Officer Carroll turned around to initiate a traffic stop as Officer Barrett drove down further to check on another vehicle he had spotted. After the vehicle Officer Barrett was checking on began to speed away, he radioed for help from Officer Carroll. Deputy Carroll gave up on trying to stop the automobile he was following and turned around to render assistance to Officer Barrett. Officer Carroll spotted the fleeing automobile and gave chase. The pursuit continued out of Lakeside Resort and north on Highway 56 until Officer Carroll wrecked. The fleeing automobile did not stop."

When Barrett stopped to assist Carroll at the crash scene, a pickup truck believed to be one of the vehicles spotted inside the resort passed. The deputies flagged the truck down and found Judd behind the wheel.

The lawmen allegedly detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the truck, and a search of the vehicle reportedly revealed about 7.7 grams of a substance believed to be meth in three separate baggies, and a set of digital scales, believed to be used to weigh the illegal powder for resale, and a metal tube possibly used to abuse the substance.

The accident was investigated by Sergeant Dewain Jennings of the THP, who filed charges against Judd for possession of a Schedule II drug for resale, driving while in possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The sheriff said the investigation into the matter is ongoing, and authorities are looking for the driver of the other vehicle involved.

Judd's bond was set at $30,500, and he will appear in court on Jan. 28.