Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 32-year-old Villa Rica man who led authorities on a high-speed chase through four counties last week.
According to the incident report, the chase began when a sheriff’s deputy on patrol near Atlanta Highway and Giles Road told another deputy through radio that the car he was behind was likely a wanted man on a felony probation violation out of Dekalb County.
The man, James Matthew Hopper, was driving a white Crown Victoria, and had a passenger who police could detect was unrestrained in the front passenger seat.
The report states that Hopper had tuned onto Giles Road from Atlanta Highway when a deputy tried to pull him over at the intersection near Rainey Brooke Drive. However, the driver picked up speed and kept going north on Giles.
With each curve the car would cross over in to the next lane failing to maintain its lane of travel, the incident report states.
The suspect continued at rates of speed above 90 miles per hour, as it brushed through a stop sign at the intersection of Giles Road and Ga. Hwy. 82. He took a right onto Ga. Hwy. 82 heading east and did not stop for the stop sign at Pleasant Hill Church Road.
When they arrived to a vehicle near the intersection of Nunnally Road, the suspect passed it in a no passing zone at the crest of a hill, according to the incident report.
Near the intersection with Ross Road, the suspect passed another vehicle within 200 feet of another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.
The aggressive manner of the suspect’s driving intimidated the other cars, the report states, causing them to leave the roadway when he would pass them.
The suspect passed another stop sign at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 82 and Ga. Hwy. 211 NE, almost T-boning a pickup truck that was in the intersection, according to the reports. He then turned north onto Ga. Hwy. 82 entering into Jackson County and passed through another red light where he nearly hit another vehicle.
The suspect took Ga. Hwy. 129 west until reaching the intersection of 1-85 where assisting Banks County Sheriff’s deputies deployed spike strips, but the car was able to avoid them, the report states.
Department of Motor Vehicle and State Trooper assists led the chase on 1-85 into Franklin County.
The suspect was driving at speeds over 100 miles per hour.
According to the report, when the suspect passed exit 166, the State Patrol executed an entrapment strategy that caused the vehicle to spin around, leaving the roadway and face the opposite direction.
As he tried to drive south in the northbound lane, he was cut off by a Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputy, and the car struck a tree when it drove downhill.
According to reports, the passenger was taken into custody immediately after he exited the car, but Hopper reportedly took off into the woods, crossing over a barbed wire fence.
Authorities rushed into the woods after him, and Hopper was caught by a State Trooper about 40 yards away from the vehicle.
Both men were arrested and taken to the Barrow County Detention Center.
Hopper is charged with obstruction of an officer, reckless conduct, passing in a no passing zone, passing within 200 feet of oncoming traffic, passing on a hill, passing within 100 feet of a bridge, failure to maintain lane, fleeing and attempting to elude, reckless driving, aggressive driving and three counts of failure to stop at a stop sign.
The passenger, Henry Marguiles, was charged with a seat belt violation.
You have a valid concern, but the bigger picture is there is no other means other than to wreck the perp out, allow the cops to shoot the driver in an effort to reduce risk to others or to allow them to get away with no chase, which will set a president for other criminals to do the same and we would have criminals running all the time if they knew the police could not chase
"your an idiot"
And, um, "your" [sic] a boy jeneyus, like Jethro Bodine.
Gotta love a self-proclaimed courageous dude who cannot distinguish between precedent and president.
This is why you are "stuck" in Barrow county, upside down, underwater -- totally bereft of liquid assets. Buy some books, buddy boy. Learn to read.
Looks like your mistakes continue to mount up.
If you hate it here sooooooooooooo much, why don't you move?
Oh, right you are "stuck" in Barrow and underwater/upside down in your mortgage, so you can't afford to move. (Boo hoo, big boy.
My heart is breaking.)
Yet, you think you are much smarter than the "backwoods" natives.
Let's see: I can read & write better than you; I don't owe any money on my house & cars; I have liquid assets.
Yet, you are certain that you are better than I am.
I think you be tres confused, buster.
I know I would be.
Hopper is charged with obstruction of an officer, reckless conduct, passing in a no passing zone, passing within 200 feet of oncoming traffic, passing on a hill, passing within 100 feet of a bridge, failure to maintain lane, fleeing and attempting to elude, reckless driving, aggressive driving and three counts of failure to stop at a stop sign.
The passenger, Henry Marguiles, is charged with a seat belt violation."
Jail for a seat belt violation? Really? Since when?
The guy got locked up because they figured that there must be something going on because of his proximity to illegal activity.he's probably out by now unless they found some drugs on him or that he had a warrent out for him.
The moral here for henry and other dumbasses like him is not to hang around with scumbags, unless you are one to.