North Georgia deputies chased down a Tennessee man on Interstate 75 yesterday and found him with 22 ounces of methamphetamine and two weapons, authorities said.
Ricky Swiney, spokesman for the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office, said a deputy spotted what he thought might have been an impaired driver traveling north in a pickup truck about 6:10 p.m.
When the deputy activated his blue lights for a traffic stop, the driver took off. The chase eventually topped 90 mph, Swiney said. A Georgia State Patrolman joined the chase in Catoosa County and performed a PIT maneuver, forcing the truck's driver to lose control and crash into a guardrail.
The officers found two handguns on William Thomas Burton, 39, of Rogersville, TN. They also discovered 22 ounces of methamphetamine valued at $50,000 in the truck, Swiney said,
Burton has been charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of possessing a firearm during commission of a crime, plus numerous traffic violations.
He is being held in the Whitfield County Jail without bond.