Stevenson
A Franklin man led deputies on a high-speed chase that ended in car crashes at a major Franklin intersection.
Harry Russell Stevenson, 36, was arrested on charges of resisting law enforcement, a felony, as well as leaving the scene of a crash and reckless driving, both misdemeanors.
Just after 1 p.m. Friday, deputies were traveling southbound on U.S. 31 from County Road 250 South when they observed a silver Chevrolet SUV traveling northbound in the left travel lane at 87 mph in a 60-mph zone. Deputies caught up to the SUV and activated their emergency lights and siren, but the vehicle continued northbound and began accelerating, according to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office report.
The SUV, driven by Stevenson, reached speeds near 120 mph as they approached County Road 150 South. Deputies notified dispatch they were in pursuit of the speeding SUV, according to the report.
As they approached County Road 80 South, Stevenson made two unsafe lane movements, weaving in and out of northbound traffic. He ran through a red light at Nineveh Road. As he approached Franklin Lakes Blvd., he passed a line of traffic on the right, then quickly moved back into the left lane as he approached Hospital Road, the report shows.
A deputy was sitting in the median at Hospital Road with his lights and siren activated. Stevenson swerved left toward the deputy’s fully marked patrol car in an aggressive manner, then swerved back to the right causing it to lose control and sideswipe a red Toyota passenger car that was stopped in the left travel lane at the traffic light. He also struck the rear of a white Honda passenger car that was stopped in the right travel lane, causing significant damage to both vehicles. Neither drivers were injured in the crash, according to the report.
Stevenson refused to stay inside the vehicle despite several verbal commands. He exited the SUV and started running north on U.S. 31 from Jefferson Street. Despite several more commands to stop, he continued running toward the CVS. A deputy deployed his taser, striking him in the back. He fell to the ground and was arrested, the report shows.
He told deputies he doesn’t remember being chased and wasn’t sure how he ended up on the ground in handcuffs. He said the SUV belonged to his girlfriend and was not stolen, according to the report.
Stevenson did not have any active arrest warrants, and no illegal items were found during a search of the vehicle. He does have three pending charges for driving while suspended out of Franklin City Court, the report shows.
He was taken to the Johnson County jail and released on $6,200 bond.
