By Gary Lloyd
CLAY — Just before 5 a.m. Monday a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a silver Ford Mustang on Edwards Lake Road near Pine Tree Drive.
The driver of the Mustang refused to stop, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. A brief chase ensued and the deputy lost sight of the car. A short time later a second deputy spotted the car on Edwards Lake Road and attempted to stop it. The driver again refused to stop and a second chase began. During this chase, the deputy lost control of his patrol car and struck a utility pole. The deputy was not injured.
Other deputies went to the address associated with the registration of the Mustang and arrived just as it was pulling into the driveway of a home in the 5300 block of Balboa Avenue. The driver got out of the car and fled on foot into a nearby wooded area.
Deputies captured him when he became entangled in brush. An intoxicated female passenger was found passed out inside the car. She told deputies that she had no knowledge of any of the events.
James McLaughlin, 51, of Clay was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and attempting to elude. He remains in the Jefferson County Jail with bond set at $52,500.
McLaughlin was released from prison in May 2011 after completing a sentence for murder. He made the statement he ran to avoid going back to prison.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.