A deputy of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department lost control of his patrol car and crashed early Tuesday morning during a pursuit of another vehicle on Highway 56 north near Hurricane Bridge.
The accident occurred at around 2:00 a.m.
Officer Joseph Carroll was taken by DeKalb EMS to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital where he was treated for bruises and abrasions and then released. Carroll was in pursuit of a suspicious vehicle seen leaving the area of Lakeside Resort when his patrol car went out of control on a curve and struck a guardrail and tree.
After the crash, the Tennessee Highway Patrol arrested 33 year old Joseph Wayne Judd of Doyle, the driver of a pickup truck which had also been observed at Lakeside. Judd was found with 7.7 grams of methamphetamine.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that the story began around 1:41 a.m. as Central Dispatch received a call from someone at Lakeside Resort complaining that trespassers had driven into the area. “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, said Sheriff Ray.
“As the deputies entered one of the parking lots at Lakeside, they saw a vehicle stop and then proceed to approach them. 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 (Barrett) 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 (Cookeville Highway) until Officer Carroll wrecked. The fleeing automobile did not stop,” said Sheriff Ray.
Meanwhile as Deputy Barrett stopped at the crash site to tend to Officer Carroll, a pickup truck approached the deputies, believed to have been the other vehicle seen earlier at Lakeside that Officer Carroll had first tried to pull over. The officers flagged down the truck and found the driver to be Judd. While the crash was under investigation, officers detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside Judd’s vehicle. A search of his truck revealed about 7.7 grams of a substance believed to be meth. It was packaged in three separate baggies. Judd also had a set of digital scales to weigh the narcotics and a metal tube used to inject the drugs.
Sergeant Dewain Jennings of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, who investigated the deputy’s accident, filed charges against Judd for driving while in possession of methamphetamine, possession of a schedule II drug for resale (meth), and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Judd’s bond is $30,500 and he will be in court on January 28.
The investigation continues and authorities hope to find the driver of the other vehicle who left the area after the crash involving Officer Carroll.
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