A 21-year-old woman who ran from Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies on Highway 58 early Tuesday morning tried to get away by carjacking a vehicle – but accidentally jumped into a reserve deputy’s car, according to court records.
Elizabeth Patterson was initially stopped after a deputy saw her running with a man across Highway 58 near Decatur around 7 a.m. Tuesday. The deputy said he stopped them because they posed a hazard to themselves and motorists.
But Patterson ran and initially eluded officers. Then, reserve deputy Kevin Ritchey spotted a woman jumping a guardrail nearby on Highway 58.
Reserve deputies are volunteers who undergo 131 hours of training and work at least 20 hours a month at the sheriff’s office. Ritchey was driving a civilian vehicle when he spotted Patterson. It’s unclear whether he was scheduled to volunteer at that time or simply happened to be nearby.
Either way, Ritchey called the deputies who were searching for Patterson and let them know what he’d seen. Deputy Joshua Richmond got into his patrol car and headed toward Ritchey.