High speed car chase, gun shots ...

Becky Holland

LESLIE — Smithville resident leads law enforcement on chase







Early Tuesday morning, Leslie Police Officer Cecil R. Mathews II was on patrol in the city around West Allen Street, when he noticed two vehicles, a semi-truck and trailer and a blue 1999 Chevrolet Blazer S-10 traveling west around the Howell Street area.

Upon activating his radar, Mathews detected that the Blazer was traveling at 57 mph in a 35-mph zone, and then at 62 mph in a 45-mph zone.

Mathews activated his blue lights to conduct a traffic stop on the Blazer, and the Blazer failed to yield for the blue lights and sirens, according to the police report.

A traffic chase then began as the vehicle continued west on Ga. Highway 118 headed toward Lee County, toward Smithville on Ga. Highway 377, and then back on 118.

Law enforcement officers in Smithville and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office were asked for assistance in the chase.

According to Mathews’ report, an officer with the Smithville Police Department and a deputy with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office joined the chase in the city of Smithville.

The vehicle continued traveling, and exited Smithville on Church Street west bound, turning north onto Bonds Trail Road. Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Hale took over the role of primary in the chase at that moment from the Leslie Police Department. The suspect headed on to Della Glass Road, and then turned back on 308 and proceeded east bound and north bound on Wiggins Road, and finally stopped his vehicle in front of a residence at 376 Wiggins Road, and left the vehicle on foot.

Johnathan McCarty, owner of the vehicle and passenger, identified the driver as Ronald Ware Jr. It was discovered that Ware was wanted on a probation violation warrant.

McCarty told Mathews and Hale that someone shot at them during the pursuit. Evidence of this, noticed by both Hale and Mathews(and on video), was that the rear window of the vehicle was busted out, and as Mathews’ report detailed, a hole appeared to be in the passenger front headrest and through the bottom right side of the front windshield.

McCarty stated he called 911 on his cell phone and the call was answered by Lee County 911.

(*Editor’s Note -The Times-Recorder was able to view the tape of the chase that was filmed from a camera mounted in the car driven by Mathews.)

According to the incident report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Officer, filed by Hale, “McCarty was very hysterical, screaming and crying, ‘They are trying to kill me.’ He stated that someone had shot at his vehicle.”

Hale told McCarty that he had not shot at his car.

Hale reported that the only “other people I noticed during the chase (other than law enforcement officials, McCarty and Ware), were three men, Aaron Cosby, Ricky Crook and Mark Israel, all who were present at Crook’s residence, unloading equipment from a hog hunting trip.”

The Lee County K-9 Unit was dispatched to the scene to assist in tracking Ware. Ware was not located, though Capt. Eddie Knotts of the Leslie Police Department did tell the Times-Recorder on Friday that Ware turned himself in later on.

According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Maj. Joe Monts, the incident is under investigation.

Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Plez Hardin told the Times-Recorder on Friday that the shooting incident and allegations are currently under investigation with his office, and no formal charges have been brought against individuals at this time.

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