Printice Barnett
Two men were arrested early Monday morning in two separate vehicle pursuits.
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputies were notified at approximately 1:32 a.m. on Monday of a 2013 white Dodge Durango that had previously evaded the Rossville Police Department.
At approximately 2:06 a.m., a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputy observed the suspect vehicle traveling north on Dayton Boulevard. The deputy followed the vehicle until it pulled into a residence located at 309 Sims Dr. where he attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle then drove through the yard and traveled back down Sims Drive to Dayton Boulevard where a pursuit ensued.
The pursuit covered numerous roads before coming to an end near the 1300 block of Chamberlain Avenue where deputies took the driver of the vehicle, Printice Barnett, into custody.
Barnett was transported to Hamilton County Jail without incident where he was booked on the following charges:
- Fugitive from justice
- Felony evading arrest
- Simple possession
- Reckless driving
- Traffic control device
- Driving of revoked driver’s license
Additional charges are pending from the Rossville Police Department.
In the second incident, at approximately 3:30 a.m., a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was patrolling the area of North Hickory Valley Road and Highway 58 due to a recent uptick in auto thefts and vehicle burglaries when he observed a silver Mercury car sitting in the parking lot of the Mapco gas station at 8604 North Hickory Valley Road. The deputy recognized the vehicle because it had been seen several times at a residence in the area known for criminal and narcotic-related activity.
After getting gas, the vehicle was observed leaving the gas station headed south on Highway 58 without a working tag light. The deputy then attempted a traffic stop; however the driver of the vehicle failed to stop, and a pursuit began at a high rate of speed. The pursuit covered several roads in the Highway 58 area until the suspect eventually lost control and crashed his vehicle into a residential garage on Lockington Lane.
The driver, later identified as Thomas Claxton, did not obey commands, and would not exit the garage. For several minutes, deputies attempted to order Claxton out of the garage with no answer. Deputies evacuated the owner of the residence, due to the threat of Claxton being barricaded inside and the vehicle catching fire.
Deputies then conducted a search of the residence and Claxton was eventually found hiding in a storage closet in the garage. Claxton refused EMS at the scene and was transported to the Hamilton County Jail where he was booked and charged with the following:
- Improper display of registration
- Felony evading arrest
- Felony reckless endangerment
- Speeding
- Stop sign violation (x2)
- Aggravated kidnapping (x2)
- Aggravated burglary
- Driving under the influence
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
Thomas Claxton