Justin Lynn Conner
Justin Lynn Conner is facing several charges after police said he stole a camper, led law enforcement on a chase, and fought two police officers in a creek bed.
Law enforcement observed an older Ford Explorer towing a newer camper on Thrasher Pike on Tuesday. According to the police report, the truck pulled into a parking lot and the officer then initiated contact with the driver, who identified himself as James Conner, 34, and the passenger Garth Schafluetzel.
Conner said the camper was their grandfather’s, but he could not provide a phone number or any information about his grandfather, according to police. After running both passengers through a database, the officer discovered Conner's first name was actually Justin.
After talking about the name issue with Conner, the driver began to fight the deputies. According to the police report, Conner “continually shouted for Garth to help him out.” Garth just put his hands in the air and did not assist Conner. Conner was tazed, hit with batons, and blasted with pepper spray, and yet he continued to fight, according to the police report.
As the deputies continued to fight into a creek, Conner was able to get a deputy into a headlock. The deputy broke out of the headlock and began to hit Conner with a baton. Conner then tried to take the baton out of another officer’s hands.
After this episode, Conner began to run down through the creek bed. Police said Conner threw rocks and debris into the officers’ faces as he ran away. Once he ran across the street and into the woods, deputies were able to get Conner into custody.
While this chase was going on, Schafluetzel ran away from the scene. Law enforcement also discovered the camper had been stolen from Arc Care Storage Facility off Hixson Pike. The owners of the camper arrived on scene and said the $34,000 vehicle had sustained $50 in damage.
After being treated at Memorial Hixson for injuries, Conner was transported to the Hamilton County Jail. He has been charged with theft over $10,000, two counts of aggravated assault on police, evading arrest, resisting arrest, and driving on a revoked license for DUI.