Three teens in stolen vehicle in Pinehurst leads police on chase to Vidor

Published 11:37 pm Friday, October 20, 2017

By Eric Williams

The Orange Leader

 

An 18-year-old man, driving a stolen vehicle, led Pinehurst police on a high speed pursuit throughout the county Thursday night.

Officer J. Lockett was on patrol in 3300 block of West Park Avenue around 9:58 p.m., when he observed a gray Jeep traveling westbound on Park Street.

Lockett observed the vehicle make a turn and failed to use a turn signal, the officer attempted to make a traffic stop but the Jeep accelerated away from the officer in an attempt to elude him down 33rd Street, according to a press release from Pinehurst Police Department.

Once the officer ran the license plate on the vehicle, it returned stolen out of Beaumont and the driver continued to go west on Pleasant Street at a high rate of speed.

A male passenger exited the vehicle at the intersection of 35th and Pheasant Street, and the driver of the vehicle continued South on 35th Street to Park Street eventually coming to the intersection of Old Hwy. 90 and Interstate 10.

The pursuit then entered onto Interstate10 with speeds reaching over 100 miles an hour, and the vehicle finally pulled over at the 864 milepost westbound after the driver struck the side of the officers patrol unit.

The driver, Earl Glenn Wright Jr., 18, of Beaumont, was arrested for felony evading arrest or detention and traffic violations.

If convicted of the state jail felony Wright faces six months to two years in state jail and a $10,000 fine.

He was transported to the Orange County Jail and arraigned on a $3,000 bond for evading.

The 16-year-old passenger in the truck was released to his parents on the scene and the male who exited the vehicle was never located but his identity has been obtained by police.