JCSD Weekend Vehicle Pursuits
 |
2 fast, 2 furious
Laurel Leader-Call September 28, 2021
JCSD pursues two in chases over weekend, one spanning 4 counties, 55 miles
While two fleeing from the Jones County Sheriff's Department in vehicles may have thought they were too fast and furious to be caught, law enforcement officials from multiple agencies were able to stop them. One chase involved assistance from Jasper, Clarke and Lauderdale counties' sheriff's departments, Mississippi Highway Patrol and Heidelberg, Enterprise and Meridian police departments.
Javeryion House, 25, of Laurel was charged and arrested for felony DUI-third offense and felony fleeing in a motor vehicle after leading deputies from seven agencies on a four-county, 55-mile chase on Interstate 59 from Laurel to Meridian.
Around 9:45 p.m., near a DUI safety checkpoint on Highway 11 just north of Laurel, a driver, later identified as House, approached the traffic stop at a high rate of speed, bypassing the checkpoint. JCSD Capt. Vince Williams, Sgt. Derrick Knight, Investigator Patrick Oster and deputy James Smith were working overtime at the safety checkpoint at the time House passed through without stopping. The officers noted the driver crossed the yellow line while he passed the checkpoint.
Williams began to pursue House and stopped him on Susie B. Ruffin Avenue and asked him to exit the vehicle. The driver then sped away and entered I-59 headed north toward Meridian. JCSD, with the help of six other agencies, pursued the vehicle from Jones County through Jasper, Clarke and Lauderdale counties, with the pursuit ending on Interstate 20 East in Meridian without incident or injury. At one point, an Enterprise Police Department officer attempted to stop House by deploying spike strips, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
House had outstanding warrants from Harrison County and the City of Starkville and had two prior DUI arrests by Laurel Police Department. He is incarcerated at the Jones County Adult Detention Center, pending his initial appearance in Jones County Justice Court. House's charges are still pending.
In the second chase on Sunday, Prentiss resident Christopher Pearson, 30, fled from deputies after a traffic stop in Moselle. The pursuit continued to the edge of Forrest County. Pearson crashed his vehicle during the chase and was arrested and charged with felony fleeing in a motor vehicle, careless driving, no insurance, no tag and driving with a suspended license.
Forrest County deputies assisted with the chase, and Pearson is incarcerated at the Jones County Adult Detention Center pending his initial appearance in Jones County Justice Court.
