Late Friday evening a deputy was called to the area of County Road 82 for a female acting suspiciously.

 

According to Sheriff Jeff Shaver, when the deputy located the woman he called for an ambulance to check on her and also called for Cherokee County Animal Control to check on the woman’s dogs. At some point, the woman jumped out of the back of the ambulance and sped away in the animal control truck nearly striking Deputy Matt Walker and the animal control officer.

 

Deputy Walker immediately began pursuing the truck which turned south onto Highway 273. Leesburg Police attempted to stop the truck but she struck the Leesburg patrol vehicle.

 

Ultimately, she was taken into custody after Centre Police officers deployed spike strips to disable the truck. The driver, Mary E. Butts, 38 of Leesburg, was transported to the Cherokee County Detention Center on charges of first degree theft and attempting to elude.

According to Chief Deputy Josh Summerford, other criminal charges are pending.