By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
CHEROKEE COUNTY, N.C. — A tenacious sheriff’s deputy was run over by an ATV, and still managed to get back up and chase down his suspect, according to investigators in southwestern North Carolina.
It happened Thursday, Aug. 27, along U.S. 64, after deputies learned a suspect named Thomas Lee Prince had fled Polk County, Tennessee, on an ATV and was headed east toward Murphy, North Carolina.
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“A Cherokee County deputy ... located the ATV and attempted to conduct a traffic stop near Felix Road. Prince fled from the attempted traffic stop before the ATV became stuck on the shoulder of the roadway,” the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 29 news release.
“The deputy approached Prince and challenged him in the roadway. Prince was able to free the ATV and accelerated toward the deputy, striking him and knocking him to the ground. The deputy was able to return to his patrol vehicle and continue the pursuit.”
The chase ended on nearby Candy Mountain Road, where “a physical altercation ensued.”
“During the altercation, a Taser was deployed, and Prince was subdued and taken into custody,” the sheriff’s office said.
Details of the deputy’s injuries were not released.
Prince, 33, has been charged with: felony assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon; assault on a law enforcement officer inflicting injury; felony flee to elude arrest, and felony resisting arrest, officials said.
“In this incident, our deputy’s training kicked in, and he showed excellent resolve in a stressful situation,” Cherokee County Sheriff Chris Wood said in a social media post.
“I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am that our deputy was not seriously injured.”
Murphy is about a 225-mile drive southwest from uptown Charlotte.
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