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A man reported to have been slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle parked in a Cooleemee driveway led police on a chase through town on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

A Davie sheriff’s deputy received the report at about 3:29 p.m., and went to check on the occupant of a small pickuip truck off Watt Street, reported Sheriff J.D. Hartman.

James Curtis Blevins was identified as the occupant. He hadn’t done anything wrong there, but had a warrant for his arrest out of Rowan County,. so the deputy asked him to step out of the truck.

“James immediately placed his vehicle into reverse and fled away from the deputy,” Hartman reported.

The deputy pursued the vehicle north on Watt Street, going onto Cross Street and then toward the dead-end section of Joyner Street.

“With nowhere to go, the suspect drove his vehicle around a residence, going through the back yard and back out onto Cross Street where it continued to flee at a high rate of speed.”

It went to Marginal Street to NC 801 South, where the vehicle failed to stop at the stop sign and went airborne into an open field, Hartman said. The suspect vehicle was still able to be driven for a few moments and crossed over Bootleg Alley and became disabled when driving into the Legion Memorial Park cemetery.

Blevins then fled on foot, and was taken into custody behind a nearby building.

He was charged with defacing a grave site, felony fleeing to elude arrest in a vehicle, injury to property, expired vehicle registration, speeding, reckless driving, hit and run, resisting an officer, failure to stop at stop sign, and driving left of center. He was taken into custody in lieu of a $25,000 bond on the Davie charges, and an additional $2,000 from Rowan County.

He is scheduled to face the Davie charges Oct. 26 in Davie District Court.