A local man has been charged with evading arrest and issued two traffic citations after he allegedly attempted to outrun a county deputy before crashing his vehicle.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Mark Alan Goodson, 49, was charged after a deputy spotted Goodson while patrolling West Main Street in Liberty on Sept. 1. Goodson was reportedly driving a beige Jeep Loredo at a high rate of speed and on the wrong side of the road.
Ray said the officer activated his lights and siren but Goodson refused to stop. The pursuit continued onto Smith Fork Road, then to Lower Helton Road before the vehicle crashed. Goodson allegedly fled on foot, but was taken into custody soon thereafter.
His bond was set at $5,000, and he will appear in court on Oct. 1.
Meanwhile, Jose Santos Acuna, 57, was charged with driving under the influence and evading arrest on Sept. 4.
Ray said a deputy traveling north on Highway 56 spotted a vehicle traveling south in the emergency lane. The officer got behind the vehicle and turned on his blue lights.
The vehicle pulled over, but when the deputy got out of his patrol car the car took off again.
The officer followed, and activated his lights and siren. The pursuit continued south for approximately a half mile before the driver, Acuna, pulled onto the lawn of a residence. Acuna was found to be unsteady on his feet and allegedly admitted to having consumed beer. After failing a breathalyzer test, Acuna was placed under arrest and taken to the emergency room of the hospital for a blood withdrawal.
His bond was set at $5,000, and he will appear in court on Oct. 1.
Jerry Thomas Waggoner, 60, of Dowelltown was charged with driving under the influence on Sept. 4.
The sheriff said a deputy dispatched to Highway 56 north in reference to a possible drunk driver spotted a vehicle and saw it cross the center line. The deputy followed the vehicle until it stopped on the side of the road.
He then spoke with the driver, Waggoner, whose speech was slurred. Waggoner's eyes were reportedly bloodshot, and he allegedly had an odor of alcohol on his person. Ray said Waggoner admitted to having consumed alcohol, and performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.
His bond was set at $1,500, and he will appear in court on Oct. 29.
