A 43-year-old Nashville man led Hamilton County deputies on a high-speed chase just after midnight Tuesday, speeding in and out of Georgia on Interstate 24.
The chase started at Exit 174 on I-24 westbound, when Deputy Andrew Voss pulled over a black minivan around 12:10 a.m. The van was weaving in and out of traffic, according to Voss' report, and also matched the description of a vehicle officers were looking for.
The driver, Byron Strickland, initially pulled over. When Voss walked up to the car, he smelled an "extremely strong" odor of marijuana, he said.
Voss asked Strickland to get out of the car, and at that point, Strickland grabbed the shifter and sped away on I-24 westbound, according to the report.
Voss gave chase.
Strickland wove in and out of traffic at speeds between 65 and 120 mph, according to the report. He drove at least eight miles and crossed into Georgia, then back into Hamilton County.
Strickland then pulled over and stopped in Hamilton County and was arrested without further incident, Voss wrote in his report.
Deputies later reported finding "large amounts" of plastic bags that smelled like marijuana.
The car Strickland was driving was a rental, according to police. The report does not say why deputies were initially looking for Strickland's vehicle.
Strickland was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, evading arrest and reckless endangerment. He was also charged with improperly passing other vehicles, driving on a revoked license and running a stop sign.
He was booked into the Hamilton County Jail on a $51,500 bond. He does not appear to have any other criminal history in Hamilton County.
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