Chase ends in arrest of Alabama man, seizure of guns and meth

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

photo DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris shows guns seized in the arrest of John William Goodale, 39 of Henagar, Ala.,
photo John William Goodale

A Jackson County, Ala., man was arrested on a string of charges after leading police on a chase, dodging tire spikes, going the wrong way on Interstate 59 and eventually fleeing into woods on a dead-end road.

John William Goodale, 39 and a resident of the Henagar area, is charged with attempting to elude, possession of a controlled substance, receiving stolen property and nonpayment of child support, according to a release from DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris.

Goodale first was engaged Monday between 10 and 11 a.m. CST by Alabama State Trooper Micha Little, who tried to stop him on Interstate 59 North just south of Fort Payne, according to Harris.

The driver, later identified as Goodale, refused to stop and Little called for help from Fort Payne police and DeKalb County deputies.

"Fort Payne officers attempted to spike the tires of the fleeing vehicle and the driver drove his car across the median and continued northbound in the southbound lanes for several miles until exiting the interstate at Alabama Highway 117," Harris' release states.

The trooper, deputies and officers pursued Goodale on Highway 117 toward Henagar until he turned onto County Road 674, a dead end, where he stopped, jumped out and ran into some nearby woods, Harris states.

He was found and taken into custody after a "brief search," according to Harris.

Officers found about two ounces of suspected methamphetamine, three stolen firearms and four other firearms inside the car, he said.

Goodale is being held on $33,000 bond.

"It was an outstanding job that the Alabama State Troopers, Fort Payne Police Department and DeKalb County Sheriff's Office did on this case," Harris stated in the release. "It is always great to get drugs off the street and to recover stolen weapons."

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.