A 66-year-old Grundy County man with a history of fleeing police crashed into a deputy's cruiser during a pursuit Saturday, leaving the deputy with minor injuries and the suspect hospitalized.
Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum said in an emailed statement early Sunday that Freddie M. Meeks was kept in the hospital for observation following the incident.
Shrum said the chase began when deputies attempted to stop a green Oldsmobile for suspicion of DUI in Palmer, Tenn. The vehicle fled from Palmer through Whitwell in Marion County and northward into Sequatchie County and onto Daus Mountain Road which leads back into Grundy County, Shrum said.
Daus Mountain Road links West Valley Road near the Marion-Sequatchie county line to State Route 399 in Grundy County just north of Palmer.
A sheriff's deputy approaching from the opposite direction had pulled onto a logging road to make way for the pursuit cars, Shrum said. The suspect's vehicle ran off the road and struck the deputy's vehicle in the driver's side.
The deputy was treated for injuries not considered to be life-threatening and released from the emergency room, the sheriff said.
Shrum said Meeks was out on bond after an incident that occurred on Dec. 14 in which he was booked for evading arrest and drug charges.
Meeks had also been arrested Oct. 26 after fleeing the scene of a crash and attempting to evade arrest, Shrum said. Also, Meeks is required to wear a GPS monitor related to charges in Marion County.
In this weekend's incident, Meeks faces charges of DUI, vehicular assault and felony evading arrest, Shrum said.