Fleeing kidnapping suspect veers off road and into ditch during high-speed chase

This contributed photo shows the aftermath of a high speed chase in which Gregory Stephens lost control of his vehicle and landed upside down in a ditch.
This contributed photo shows the aftermath of a high speed chase in which Gregory Stephens lost control of his vehicle and landed upside down in a ditch.

A Tennessee man is jailed in Whitfield County, Ga., on assault and kidnapping charges after he led deputies on a high-speed chase Friday morning.

Whitfield authorities had been looking for Gregory David Stevens, 48, of Ten Mile, Tenn., since he allegedly beat his ex-girlfriend and a man on Thursday, Sheriff Scott Chitwood said in a news release.

That incident happened on Beaverdale Road, where Stephens came upon Monica Cunningham and Terry Whaley sitting in a truck in Whaley's driveway.
Whaley told deputies Stephens attacked him and Cunningham with a blunt object, then forced her into his black Chevrolet HHR and drove off.

Deputies hunted for Stephens overnight without success, Chitwood said. Friday morning they learned his mother lived in Ten Mile, Tenn., and asked local law enforcement to check the residence. They found Cunningham, who was cut and bruised around the head, but not Stephens.

Then, just after 10 a.m., two Whitfield officers saw Stephens driving south on I-75 near the 339 mile marker. He sped away to evade the stop, getting off the interstate at Rocky Face and fleeing north on U.S. Highway 41.

Stephens lost control in front of the Rocky Face post office and the car landed upside down in a ditch.

After being checked out at the hospital, Stephens was jailed on multiple charges, including kidnapping and aggravated assault, Chitwood said.

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