Here’s a quick shout out to our brand new K9 Team, Officers Shell and Goose, who apprehended an escaped felon on their very first day working the road.
After being in service for just two hours Officer Shell and his canine partner Goose attempted to stop a vehicle in the 9000 block of Lee Highway for a simple traffic violation. After Shell made contact with the driver the vehicle sped away from the stop nearly causing several crashes as it drove onto I-75 towards the Volkswagen exit.
Due to safety concerns for the other drivers on the road and an abundance of caution Officer Shell chose not to pursue, instead putting the vehicle description out over the radio for the surrounding jurisdictions.
Deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office quickly located the vehicle on Volkswagen Drive and attempted to halt the vehicle, however, the driver refused to stop and it was pursued until it reached a hotel located near Bonny Oaks Drive and Lee Highway.
A short foot pursuit ensued before the driver was safely apprehended and taken into custody.
The driver, James Falvo of Murphy, North Carolina, was found to have felony warrants out of Georgia for escape, evading police, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and theft. He also was found to have a Hamilton County warrant for assault and is wanted for questioning for an arson in Murphy, North Carolina.
“The good police work of our new K9 team helped to put an escaped felon behind bars on their first day at work” said Chief Jack Sapp. “This is one of the many reasons we were so proud to reintroduce the K9 program at our department.”
Chief Sapp also expressed his appreciation to Sheriff Austin Garrett and the deputies of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office who assisted in the fugitive’s arrest. “Our partnership with the sheriff’s office and other area agencies continue to be a valuable resource for our men and women who serve this community.”
James Falvo was booked for felony evading and transported to the Hamilton County Jail where he will await his court dates and extradition back to Georgia.
Original source can be found here
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