High-speed chase ends in arrest of Jones Co. man

Oct. 11—A Jones County man finds himself facing an assortment of criminal and traffic related charges following a high-speed chase through parts of Milledgeville and Baldwin County on Monday afternoon, local authorities say.

Although no one was seriously injured during the lengthy chase, which reached speeds at better than 130 mph at times, there were several near crashes with motorists along the route, including a couple of near head-on collisions.

It was later learned by authorities that the man involved in the chase was the same one wanted for reportedly shoplifting about $300 worth of beer at the Kroger in Milledgeville on Sunday.

Baldwin County Sheriff's Office Deputy Lt. Brandon Towe described the chase as "very long and very dangerous."

He said a BOLO (Be On Lookout) had been issued earlier in the day to area law enforcement agencies by the Jones County Sheriff's Office looking for a stolen car about 1:30 p.m. The vehicle, described as an Acura TL recently had been stolen out of the neighboring county.

"I went into the Flock camera system to figure out what area he had been frequenting, which was the Dunlap Road area," Towe said, noting he first went there a short time after the BOLO was received. "I was actually canvassing that area when the suspect drove past me in the stolen car on Dunlap Road."

At the time, the suspect was traveling towards North Jefferson Street, Towe said.

The deputy said before he could turn around to catch up with the suspect, he turned into the parking lot of the Jet Food Store there at the intersection.

"I pulled in behind the vehicle and gave them orders to stop and get out of the vehicle," Towe told The Union-Recorder in a telephone interview after the incident. "Two females got out of the vehicle and the suspect actually took off striking one of the females with the car door before taking off."

The deputy said both women had complied with his instructions to get out of the car. They both put their hands up in the air.

One of the women was knocked to the ground after being hit by the car door, but reportedly was not injured.

The suspect, meanwhile, then traveled south along North Jefferson Street.

"He was driving all over the road, and driving over sidewalks to get around other people driving," Towe said.

The suspect later made a right turn onto Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and then made a right turn onto North Columbia Street before he turned left onto Garrett Way.

"On Garrett Way, he passed two different cars and almost hit them head-on," Towe said.

The suspect later ran the traffic signal at Garrett Way and Roberson Mill Road before he continued along the U.S. Highway 441 Bypass at an estimated speed of between 120 and 130 mph, the deputy said.

The chase later went down Irwinton Road.

"At that point in time, I was starting to lose him in my Ford Explorer and one of our Dodge Chargers took over primary in the chase," Towe said.

The deputy that took over was identified as Jordan Carpenter.

"He turned left onto Harrisburg Road and she took over from there," Towe said.

The suspect kept traveling along Laverne Circle.

"When he came out of that loop in that neighborhood, Deputy Carpenter actually called out that he almost hit her patrol car coming out," Towe said.

The chase ended a short time later when the suspect hit some spike strips that had been placed across an area of Harrisburg Road.

"We got him boxed in there and took him into the custody there at gunpoint," Towe said.

The suspect was later identified as 54-year-old Dwayne Anderson, a Jones County resident.

Anderson was charged with the following offenses: fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, aggravated assault, reckless driving, failure to obey a traffic control device, theft by receiving stolen property, failure to drive within a single lane, driving while license revoked, driving under the influence of multiple substances — alcohol and marijuana, and Violation of the Georgia Open Container Law.

The suspect also is charged with theft of a motor vehicle by the Jones County Sheriff's Office.

After being arrested, Anderson was taken to the Baldwin County Law Enforcement Center and jailed.