The Sheriff's Office has made its second using a new license plate reader system.
On Saturday at approximately 11:10 p.m., Deputy David Winters was patrolling the area around Tunnel Boulevard when he was alerted by his in-car automated license plate reader (ALPR) that he had driven past a possible stolen vehicle. The deputy then confirmed the car was stolen.
Deputy Winters pulled in behind the vehicle after it came to a stop in a driveway near the 3300 block of Wilcox Avenue. The suspect then reversed the car towards the deputy’s patrol vehicle before turning around in the yard and heading east on Lightfoot Mill Road towards Bonny Oaks.
The suspect driver would eventually lead law enforcement on a pursuit where he failed to exercise due regard for traffic laws and the safety of other motorists, including driving without lights and speeds upwards 95 miles per hour. The driver also struck another vehicle on Bonny Oaks Drive during the pursuit just past Volkswagen Drive.
The driver then continued to flee from deputies where he made contact with a building, struck the front push-bar of Deputy Winters’ patrol vehicle, and almost struck another HCSO Sergeant’s vehicle.
After eventually hitting a curb, the vehicle came to a stop and the driver and female passenger fled leading deputies on a short foot pursuit. Both the driver and the female passenger were taken into custody.
Once both were secured, deputies searched the vehicle at which time they located 5.2 grams of marijuana, 36 Xanax bars, eight grams of cocaine, and 19.2 grams of meth.
The suspect driver has been identified as Jamal Bell, 25. The female passenger was identified as Kyra Wheat, 19. Both were transported to the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center where they were booked on numerous charges.
This makes the second successful stolen vehicle located, suspects apprehended, and drugs recovered as a result of the HCSO’s in-car automated license plate readers.