Corey Lynn Hyde
Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson credited citizen involvement and heads up work by personnel from three agencies that resulted in last week’s apprehension of two suspects after they attempted to flee deputies in a stolen vehicle in East Cleveland.
On Thursday, the owner of a 1996 Chevrolet Blazer was notified by an acquaintance that the vehicle he reported stolen three days earlier had been spotted in the area of Lowery Street, but both front doors were removed.
That information was provided to the 911 Communications Center and relayed by radio to BCSO patrol personnel. Deputy Sam Collins, responding to the area where the vehicle was seen, observed a Blazer with the front doors missing approaching him from the opposite direction on Wildwood Avenue.
Deputy Collins activated his vehicle’s emergency equipment for a traffic stop, but the Blazer attempting to evade the deputy quickly turned onto a side street and accelerated. Deputy Collins got in behind and after a brief chase during which the driver attempted to ditch the vehicle, it crashed into a child’s swing set in the yard of a residence on Elrod Street.
Deputy Collins took the passenger, Johnny Ray Lee Russell, 27, into custody as he exited the vehicle. Deputies responding to assist in searching for the driver who fled on foot found him several blocks away at the intersection of 17th Street and Aurora Avenue and identified him as Corey Lynn Hyde, also 27.
“I want to commend the two citizens, the deputies and detectives of the sheriff’s office, the Cleveland Police officers who assisted, and the 10th Judicial District Drug Task Force for their response to this situation. I am glad to report no citizens or officers were injured. The different agencies worked well together, while averting a dangerous situation and recovering a stolen vehicle. They were the reason we were able to put two suspects in jail,” Sheriff Watson said.
Deputies later found the doors that had been taken off the vehicle, and also recovered several tools that were in the vehicle when it was stolen.
Charges against Hyde include theft over $1,000, felony evading, evading arrest, driving on a revoked license, felony reckless endangerment, and vandalism.
Russell was charged with theft over $1,000.
Johnny Ray Lee Russell