Early this morning, UCSO deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a stolen motor vehicle in the Monroe Area. When Deputies turned on their emergency lights and sirens, the driver began to flee at high speeds instead of pulling over. During the pursuit, the suspect showed no regard for the safety of other motorists as he failed to stop at multiple red lights and passed other vehicles on the wrong side of the roadway nearly losing control of the stolen vehicle on several occasions. In order to ensure the safety of other motorists within our community, deputies successfully utilized a forced vehicle stop to bring the pursuit to an end. The suspect was removed from the stolen vehicle and deputies learned that he was a 14-year-old male from the Lancaster, SC area.

Due to the suspect’s age, deputies contacted the Department of Juvenile Justice and requested that a secured custody order be issued for the juvenile suspect due to the severity of his actions and the risk he posed to the public. The secured custody order was denied therefore leaving deputies with no choice but to return the juvenile suspect to his parent. Investigating Deputies have charged the juvenile suspect with numerous offenses including felony Flee to Elude, felony Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle, Reckless Driving, and Failure to Stop for a Steady Red Light via juvenile petitions.

Sheriff Eddie Cathey adds “This unsupervised juvenile entered Union County after stealing a vehicle and put the lives of our residents at risk by fleeing from law enforcement. My deputies utilized their training and experience to end this pursuit quickly and detained this suspect without any harm to the public or damage to the vehicles being driven. I am disappointed that the Department of Juvenile Justice failed to issue a secured custody order in this case and that my deputies were unable to immediately hold this juvenile offenderaccountable for his actions by transporting to him a secured facility. I am thankful no one was injured and proud of the work my deputies did to end this pursuit.”

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Sheriff’s App Download Links
- Android Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ocvapps.a845
- Apple/iOS Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/union-county-sheriff-nc/id1660816160

UCSO Point of Contact for this Press Release is Lt. James Maye at (704)506-6843