Alleged Car Thief Who Led Police Chase Through Tuscaloosa Arrested After Night in Woods
A man accused of fleeing from police in a stolen car Wednesday afternoon was finally found and arrested Thursday morning after ditching the vehicle and eluding capture all night.
As the Thread reported yesterday, the driver of an allegedly stolen white sedan led multiple police agencies on a long, high-speed chase Wednesday.
Stephanie Taylor, a spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa Police Department, said the pursuit began when an officer attempted to stop the driver in the area of 7th Avenue and Willow Chase just after 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The driver was in a vehicle reported stolen with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
Taylor said police with TPD, TCSO and more pursued the driver onto I-20/59 North, and he crashed near Mile Marker 86 in Tuscaloosa County before fleeing into nearby woods.
Apparently, he then spent the night there. Jessica McDaniel, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, said officers with agencies including the Alabama State Troopers, Coaling Police Department, Vance Police Department, Brookwood Police Department, and Lakeview Police Department helped TPD and TCSO deploy dogs, a drone unit and a helicopter to search for the suspect but called it around 5 p.m. as night fell.
She said the driver, now identified as Justin Finklea, was located and taken into custody at Mary’s Travel Center Thursday at 10:12 a.m. not far from Exit 86.
Finklea was charged with Theft of Property First Degree and additional charges will be filed, but as of Thursday, he was jailed without bond. His mugshot was not available at the time of publication.
In a press release, Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy thanked all agencies that assisted for their coordinated response and commitment to public safety.
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