Chase leads to arrests in smuggling case

Billy Hobbs, The Union-Recorder, Milledgeville, Ga.
·3 min read

Nov. 15—A high-speed chase through portions of Washington and Baldwin counties last Friday afternoon led to the arrests of two suspects wanted in connection with a prison smuggling case, local authorities say.

The chase ended after the driver of the car hit a spike strip set out by a deputy with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office. The suspects were taken into custody in neighboring Wilkinson County.

The suspects were identified as Malachi Wint, 29, of Gaston, South Carolina; and Sharif Levelle Dennis, 25, of Charlotte, North Carolina, according to Baldwin County Sheriff's Office Deputy Lt. Brandon Towe.

The two men are charged with smuggling illegal items into inmates at Washington State Prison in the small community of Davisboro in Washington County.

Authorities said the suspects were also wanted by several other law enforcement agencies

Towe said all evidence, including the car, which was stolen somewhere in South Carolina, was turned over to Washington County Sheriff's Office Deputy Lt. Ben Perdue.

The suspects are being held in the Washington County Law Enforcement Center in Sandersville.

A Baldwin County 911 dispatcher advised local deputies that a deputy with the Washington County Sheriff's Office was pursuing a car on Ga. Route 24 and headed toward Baldwin County Friday.

Several local deputies responded to the area, according to an incident report.

He later received word that Washington County deputies wanted spike strips put out.

"I advised dispatch that I would be attempting to put out spike strips on state Route 540 (the Fall Line Freeway) and state Route 29," Towe said. "I placed the spike strips on the side of the roadway, took a position of safe cover and was preparing to notify dispatch of the exact spike strip location when the offender's vehicle began approaching my location."

Towe said he positively identified the offender's vehicle and deployed the spike strips across the roadway.

"The offender's vehicle ran over the spike strips with at least the driver's side front tire," Towe said.

As Towe was getting inside his SUV patrol vehicle, Deputy Sgt. Ashley Brown passed him. Deputy Oscar Garcia was also involved and later asked for assistance when the chase ended just inside Wilkinson County.

Towe said when he arrived on the scene he drew his service weapon and assisted Deputy Lt. Perdue, who called for the driver to step out of the car. The suspect did as he was instructed and was taken into custody.

Perdue told local deputies that one of the suspects threw bags of marijuana and possibly guns out of the car during the chase as it got into Baldwin County.

A search of the area near the river bridge on the Fall Line Freeway by Garcia later yielded a bag containing a gun magazine and ammunition. The same deputy later discovered a broken jar on the side of the roadway.

Towe, meanwhile, said he spotted suspected marijuana up and down the side of the roadway in the area.