Authorities arrested a man Saturday after he led them on a pursuit through Rhea County that ended when he crashed a stolen vehicle into the Tennessee River.
The incident began shortly after Rhea County Sheriff's Office deputies received a report of suspicious activity in progress on the 1000 block of Bob Long Road just off of State Route 60. When deputies arrived at the scene, a white Chevrolet pickup truck drove through the closed garage door of the home and fled the scene as the owners of the truck were on their back porch, according to a Saturday evening news release from Rhea County Sheriff Mike Neal.
Deputies chased the vehicle into Meigs and northern Hamilton County on Highway 60. The suspect turned onto several side roads and eventually pulled behind a residence on the 2100 block of Blythes Ferry Lane.
"The homeowner at that residence saw the suspect flee on foot into the wood line," the release states. "The homeowners saw what they thought was a long rifle being carried by the suspect."
Authorities attempted to set up a perimeter around the area and awaited the arrival of K-9 tracking teams. A K-9 team from Hamilton County and a K-9 team from Rhea County responded.
Meanwhile, the suspect had reached a home on the 300 block of Rogers Road and kicked in the door of the home and unsuccessfully attempted to steal another vehicle before he succeeded in stealing a blue Jeep, the release states. The suspect ended up lelaving the Jeep sitting on the road and traveled by foot to the 190 block of Kimbrough Lane, where he stole a blue truck from a residence there.
The suspect lost control of the truck, wrecking on Elder Hollow Road and then fleeing the scene on foot to the 1100 block of Sneed Road in Meigs County. There, he allegedly attempted to steal a Ranger ATV at gunpoint from the homeowner there, before running to another Sneed Road home, where he succeeded in stealing a Chevrolet Cruze.
From there, the suspect led deputies on a chase northbound on Highway 58. At this point, he was being pursued by deputies from Rhea, Hamilton, and Meigs County, as well as the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The suspect allegedly sideswiped a Ford Ranger pickup truck in Decatur, Tennessee, causing minor damage. He then drove north on Highway 58 and Highway 68, then headed toward Rhea County on Old Highway 68 and then back onto Highway 68. He then turned onto Highway 304, otherwise known as River Road.
The suspect drove south on River Road and then turned south onto Eads Ferry Lane, driving the Cruze off the road and into the Tennessee River. He swam from the Meigs County side of the river back into Rhea County, the release states, coming out of the water at the Yuchi Wildlife Management area.
Deputies were waiting for him when he arrived. After a short search, Kendall O'Neil Speegle was taken into custody and transported to the Rhea County Jail. He faces multiple charges, including aggravated burglary, theft over $10,000, felony evading arrest, felony reckless endangerment and several others.
According to the news release, the Rhea County Marine Patrol and the Hamilton County Dive Team are searching for the stolen vehicle that was driven into the Tennessee River.