A chase of a man with a female kidnap victim in his vehicle on Thursday morning ended with a crash on Hickory Valley Road.
Charles Derrick Steele, 29, is facing multiple charges.
Authorities said Steele took the 29-year-old woman from a residence on 3448 Garrett Chapel Road in Walker County, Ga., around 12:30 Thursday morning. He took the woman to a residence on Highway 58 and was there for several hours before the chase began.
Beginning around 5 a.m., the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office was requested by the Walker County Sheriff’s Office to assist with the apprehension of a suspect wanted for various charges and for kidnapping.
Sheriff authorities spent most of the morning following up on leads with assistance from the U.S. Marshal’s office and the Chattanooga Police Department. The suspect was located in a truck with the kidnapped victim.
As law enforcement personnel approached the vehicle, the suspect drove off and led authorities on a pursuit ending when the vehicle wrecked at 2330 Hickory Valley Road. The Chattanooga Police Department also assisted with the pursuit. As the pursuit neared the location of St. Michaels Church, authorities forced the vehicle into the church parking lot at which time a HCSO patrol car and a Chattanooga Police Department SUV incurred damages. Both officers involved in the crash were uninjured.
Once the wreck occurred, the driver fled on foot. Authorities pursued the suspect at which time he resisted, was tackled by a CPD officer, and was tazed by HCSO deputies. The suspect was taken into custody and was taken to the Hamilton County Jail by the HCSO Fugitive Division. He is facing a number of charges from both Hamilton County and Walker County, Georgia. He is a convicted felon and numerous types of ammunition and illegal substances were found in the suspect’s vehicle and federal law enforcement partners were at the scene for followup, it was stated.
The female kidnap victim was secured unharmed and was checked out by Hamilton County EMS. She was released at the scene.