Man takes 2 passengers on police pursuit that ends in foot chase at St. George liquor store

Stock image | Photo by Carl Ballou via iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A man with an extensive criminal record was arrested late Wednesday night following a short pursuit with officers that ended in the parking lot of a St. George liquor store.

File photo for illustrative purposes only of State Liquor Store at 161 N. 900 East in St. George, Utah, March 29, 2019 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News

The pursuit was set in motion shortly before 11 p.m. on Wednesday, when a patrol officer noticed a white Ford pickup truck pull out of a gas station to head east on St. George Boulevard without stopping.

The probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest states that from there, the driver accelerated away. The driver then made a left turn, going into an oncoming turn lane as he did so, which was the third moving violation the officer observed within a three-block area.

The officer activated his emergency lights to signal the driver to stop, but instead of pulling over, the Ford continued into the south parking lot of the Motel 6 on 1000 East and then around the back of the motel before accelerating toward the exit at more than 30 mph “in the confined parking lot,” the officer noted in the report.

With lights and sirens activated, the officer continued following the pickup as the driver pulled back into the parking lot and drove toward the rear of the motel where he abruptly stopped the pickup and parked on the north side of the motel parking lot.

The driver jumped out of the driver’s side of the pickup and ran west from the parking lot, the report states. He then jumped two fences and ended up in the parking lot of the Panda Gardens restaurant, with the officer close behind yelling orders for him to stop.

Police say the driver continued running south on 900 East, but as he continued through the parking lot of the Utah State Liquor Store, he was taken down by several police officers and detained.

The suspect was identified by his South Carolina driver’s license as 50-year-old Chad Hill of Belton, South Carolina, and he was transported to police headquarters in St. George for an interview.

Back at the motel, officers discovered two passengers still inside the pickup truck. The pair had reportedly met the driver earlier that evening at the bar.

The men reportedly told authorities that during the short pursuit, both were yelling at the suspect to stop, but he continued accelerating through the parking lot with officers close behind.

The report also states that the chase took place in the dark amid a number of pedestrians and parked cars scattered about, adding the suspect’s actions purportedly placed the two passengers, as well as other innocent patrons of the motel, in significant danger of death or serious bodily injury.

2020 stock image of Purgatory Correctional Facility, Hurricane, Utah, Oct. 20, 2020 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

In this way, the chase on Wednesday was similar to many police pursuits involving motor vehicles, which can often result in significant crashes with injuries, the officer noted in the report.

Authorities say during the interview, officers noted Hill’s eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred, indicating possible alcohol impairment, as well as the strong odor of alcohol coming from the suspect’s breath.

The suspect apologized for fleeing and said he had “just freaked out,” but was cooperative with police by submitting to a breathalyzer test that revealed a blood alcohol level of .0100, twice the legal limit in Utah.

Officers located a plastic baggie that contained suspected marijuana, along with a glass pipe, rolling papers and other paraphernalia.

The suspect also reportedly told officers he had been drinking at the bar and said he threw a marijuana joint out the window as soon as the officer activated the lights on his patrol vehicle earlier that night.

A criminal history check on the suspect revealed more than 30 arrests across several states dating back to 1993, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and now Utah.

Officers also found that Hill has numerous felony convictions, several of which included evading officers, as well as convictions for assault and battery, firearm and drug offenses, arson and several theft convictions.

The officer also noted that Hill posed an obvious danger to the community and was also a possible flight risk, given that Hill has been in St. George only a few months and has yet to establish a permanent residence in the area.

The suspect was then booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility facing two felony charges, including failure to stop at the command of police and possession of a controlled substance. He also faces eight misdemeanor charges, including reckless endangerment and reckless driving, tampering with evidence, DUI, possession of marijuana, driving on a suspended license and possession of paraphernalia.

Ed. Note: A new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained.  

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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