A man who got into a high-speed chase in which he rammed a patrol car in 2019 pled guilty and on Friday afternoon was sentenced to six years in federal prison. Dustin Draughon, 35, was sentenced for the amount of drugs he dealt over the course of several months.
Defense attorney Myrlene Marsa and prosecutor Kyle Wilson agreed that Draughon deserved a lesser sentence as it was determined he did not sell nearly as many drugs as originally thought.
Draughon said he was involved for six months, but that could not be possible since he was in custody for around four of those months. A co-defendant also affirmed this.
Judge Travis McDonough sentenced Draughon to the prison term and directed that he receive 500 hours of drug abuse treatment.
“I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you use this time to straighten yourself out,” Judge McDonough said.
Some 15 police cars were involved in the chase.
Draughon had a woman with him during the incident. While driving in a parking lot of a business, the passenger attempted to exit the vehicle, but was pulled back inside. A deputy pursued the vehicle north on Dayton Pike at which time Soddy Daisy Police Department officers joined in the pursuit.
The driver of the vehicle evaded several attempts made by deputies throughout the chase to stop the vehicle. Soddy Daisy Police attempted to spike-strip the vehicle without success. Due to safety concerns, the pursuit was terminated.
The vehicle was then spotted by Red Bank Police a few minutes later at which time they attempted to pursue the vehicle. The chase then continued on I-75 north where Sheriff deputies rejoined the pursuit. The deputies were eventually able to stop the vehicle after it rammed a patrol unit.
At that time, the driver exited the vehicle and deputies pursued him on foot for approximately 100 yards. The female passenger remained at the vehicle.
Upon further investigation, deputies found that the vehicle had a stolen tag.The driver of the vehicle, Draughon, was found to have a revoked driver’s license for DUI and a warrant for auto theft.
The passenger, Brandice Cox, being an unwilling participant and not having any warrants, was released at the scene. She told police she tried to get out of the vehicle in the parking lot of Planet Fitness, but he grabbed the sleeve of her blouse and pulled her back in.