Around 11:00 Sunday night, while on routine patrol, Leesburg Investigator Jamie Chatman witnessed two vehicles exit the parking lot of Jeff’s Auto Sale at a high rate of speed.  At that point, he immediately fell in behind the second vehicle – a white Z71 Chevy four-door truck with a drive-out tag – and turned on his emergency lights and gave chase.   

The truck fled south towards Gadsden on 411 – with Etowah County authorities eventually joining in.  The driver made a u-turn at Patterson’s Grocery, heading back toward Leesburg where Centre Police Officers Billy Flynt and Tom Duke became involved in the pursuit.

As the chase continued back up to the four-lane to the Slackland area the truck was brought to a stop when it hit the spike sticks deployed by Deputies Thomas Key and Jamie Parris.

The driver bailed out of the vehicle at County Road 249 and he attempted to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended and taken into custody.

25 year old Andre James Byrd of a Birmingham address is currently in the Cherokee County Detention Center being held on a long-list of charges including – the Unlawful Breaking and Entering of a Motor Vehicle, Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, Resisting Arrest, the Theft of Property 1st Degree, Possession of Burglary Tools and multiple traffic violations.

Damage done to the vehicle during the theft included one window being broken out and the steering column being broken.

Investigator Chatman would like to thank Centre Police Chief Kirk Blankenship, Cedar Bluff Officer Seth Hood and Alabama State Troopers for the assistance in making this arrest.