A jury has convicted a Morgantown man on five charges stemming from an incident last year involving a stolen car and a police chase.
The jury found James Law, 42, guilty of conversion of a vehicle used to commit a felony, a Level 5 felony; resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, Level 6; possession of methamphetamine, Level 6; possession of a syringe, Level 6; and misdemeanor criminal mischief, according to a news release from the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Sept. 13, Greenwood police tried to stop the vehicle driven by Law because it had an expired temporary plate. Law led police on a chase, eventually launching his vehicle over an embankment at a construction site and into a recently excavated retention pond. He then fled on foot, jumping the hoods of multiple police cars until he was caught by a K9, according to the news release.
Police found methamphetamine in his pocket and a used syringe in the vehicle, which he admitted he had used earlier in the evening. The vehicle’s owner did not know Law or give him permission to use her vehicle. Law said a “friend” let him borrow the vehicle and he was using it to buy drugs, the news release said.
Law’s sentencing is set for March 12, at Johnson County Circuit Court. He faces up to 8 1/2 years in prison.
