Theft, chase suspect sought again
A man who led police on a high-speed chase on March 18 is on the run again.
Thorsby Police Chief Rodney Barnett said warrants have been issued for James Jordan Hogan, 22, of Clanton related to the chase and a stolen vehicle.
Police arrested Hogan on March 18, and he was booked into Chilton County Jail on multiple charges.
Soon after arriving at the jail, Hogan’s health deteriorated, apparently because of medication he had taken, and he was transported to a Prattville hospital.
Before police could arrive at the hospital to take Hogan back into custody, he had been discharged and fled, Barnett said.
The chase began when Thorsby Police Department received a call that a subject in a stolen vehicle was at Thorsby Memorial Cemetery off Alabama Avenue.
The driver of a gray pickup truck refused to stop for Barnett, and a chase ensued, with the suspect driving through yards of private homes in his attempt to escape.
Barnett followed the suspect onto County Road 37, where speeds of the vehicles climbed over 90 miles per hour before the suspect turned onto County Road 753.
Pursuing officers had received information that the suspect may have had a handgun, and they observed him reaching down as if trying to retrieve something from the floor of the vehicle during the chase.
The truck turned onto County Road 754 toward Lomax. As the vehicles approached the intersection with Old Henry Road, units from Clanton Police Department and the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office were waiting to deploy “spike strips,” which deflated the vehicle’s tires, but it was not stopped until it ran into a ditch.
The suspect then fled on foot, holding what appeared to be a handgun by the barrel while running.
Barnett said the suspect never raised the apparent gun as if to fire at officers.
It was only after the suspect was caught and handcuffed that officers realized the gun was a pellet/BB air pistol that was a replica of a well-known firearm.
The vehicle had been stolen from a Clanton residence.
Hogan faces charges from multiple local agencies related to the theft and chase, including attempting to elude officers and reckless endangerment among others.