NORTH CAROLINA — A North Carolina man is in jail after leading deputies on a high-speed chase that exceeded 100 miles per hour following a traffic stop on Interstate 40.
According to the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, detectives attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding through a work zone on I-40 near Exit 27 on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The vehicle initially pulled over.
Deputies said the passenger complied with instructions and exited the vehicle. However, the driver, identified as 31-year-old Kihrie Holmes of Spencer, North Carolina, refused repeated commands to unfasten his seatbelt. Holmes then accelerated and fled the scene.
When Holmes drove off, a detective was dragged approximately 10 to 15 yards, authorities said. The detective suffered minor injuries and is expected to be OK.
Deputies said Holmes exited I-40 and continued at speeds exceeding 100 mph along the Great Smoky Expressway before getting off at Exit 103. The pursuit ended after deputies executed a PIT maneuver on Dellwood Road near the Lake Junaluska Golf Course. Officials said the patrol vehicle involved in the maneuver was not damaged.
Holmes was arrested and charged with felony flee to elude arrest with a vehicle and felony assault with a deadly weapon on a government official. He is being held in the Haywood County Detention Center without bond.
The passenger, 41-year-old Jarrett Cody Youngdeer of Swain County, was charged with felony possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and was also found to have outstanding warrants from Cherokee. Youngdeer is being held under a $10,000 bond.
Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke said he was grateful the deputy was not seriously injured and called the suspect’s actions reckless and unacceptable, especially in a work zone.
