Man leads cops on chase, tussles
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 28, 2015
A motorcyclist led Florala and Opp Police on a chase Monday night, which ended in a tussle with OPD officers and landed the man to jail.
“It started out down here in Florala on North Sixth Street,” Florala Police Chief Sonny Bedsole said. “One of our officers clocked a motorcycle going 76 in a 55, and a pursuit entailed.”
Bedsole said Opp Police assisted with the chase.
OPD Assistant Chief Kevin Chance said the chase came up Hwy 331 toward Opp, and that the drive of the motorcycle stopped with Opp officers at the intersection of Hwy 331 and Indian Creek Road.
“Officers ordered the drive off the motorcycle,” Chance said. “While officers were attempting to get the driver off the motorcycle, the motorcycle sped off.”
Chance said an officer followed the motorcycle, where the driver, identified as 47-year-old John McCarthy Jr., eventually pulled into a residence off of Substation Road and stopped.
“The driver tussled with officers briefly, but officers were able to get handcuffs on him and take him into custody,” Chance said.
McCarthy was charged with assault III, obstructing governmental operations, three counts of reckless driving and two counts of attempting to elude.
He was booked into the Covington County Jail on a $12,000 bond.