ASHEBORO NC (ACME NEWS) – A suspect is in the hospital and another in jail after a vehicle chase led to a crash and a manhunt.
According to a statement from the N.C. Highway Patrol At 11:01 AM on Monday, February 22, 2021, Troopers attempted to stop a 1995 Honda passenger car for speeding. The driver Mary Etta Pennell, 35, of Greensboro N.C., fled from the trooper before losing control of the vehicle and traveling off the roadway to the right, and colliding with a tree near the Flag Springs United Methodist Church on Zoo Parkway. Pennell was transported to Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital.
A suspect inside the vehicle fled on foot. According to police radio traffic, deputies reported the fleeing suspect was possibly armed with a knife.
Deputies with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office arrived to assist Troopers. After a perimeter was established, a K-9 was used to track the suspect. School Resource Officers advised Uwharrie Charter Academy to go on modified lockdown during the early stages of the manhunt.
During a hard downpour of rain, the K-9 lost track. Deputies and members of the Criminal Apprehension Team stayed in the area. At around 1 PM a 911 caller reported a male who was hiding in bushes near Zoo Parkway and Rainbow Loop Rd. Deputies arrived while the caller was still on the phone with 911 and the second suspect identified as Dean Rene Peters was taken into custody and transported to the hospital to be evaluated for medical clearance due to the motor vehicle accident. The lockdown at Uwharrie Charter Academy was lifted shortly after the suspect was arrested.
Pennell, the driver was charged with felony speeding to elude and other related violations. Dean Rene Peters was arrested on several outstanding Orders for Arrest, with more charges pending.