A Cleveland, Georgia, man faces multiple charges following his arrest last week after a manhunt. Brandon Nash fired on a deputy while fleeing from a traffic stop, the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office says. No one was injured in the shooting.
Fleeing traffic stop
On December 12, a Stephens County deputy attempted to stop a Ford Fusion for a traffic violation on the Toccoa Bypass near Highway 145. The driver fled, and a high-speed chase ensued. According to Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley, the pursuit reached speeds over 90 mph.
The pursuit continued onto Mize Road. The suspect, later identified as Nash, turned into a private drive and fled on foot. He disappeared into the woods behind a house at the intersection of Old Mize Road and Highway 106.
“The deputy continued to chase the suspect on foot through the woods. The suspect dropped a backpack, which was found to have more than 8 ounces of suspected methamphetamine, bags of prepackaged marijuana, and digital weighing scales, before falling on the ground,” says Sheriff Shirley. “The deputy then drew his duty weapon to give commands to the suspect. The suspect got up and immediately lunged forward at the deputy, grabbing the deputy’s duty weapon.”
According to Shirley, “A treacherous struggle ensued over the weapon. During the altercation, a shot was fired but did not strike the suspect.”
Nash ran down an embankment, and Shirley says he fired a handgun up at the deputy, who soon lost sight of him.
3-hour search
Personnel and K9s from multiple state and local law enforcement agencies conducted ground and aerial manhunts. They searched for the 30-year-old Nash for three hours until a resident on Pine Villa Drive encountered him and called 911. The resident recognized Nash from a description authorities released.
The caller said the man asked for a ride and appeared to have been swimming and running through the woods. Deputies arrived on the scene and took Nash into custody.
Authorities charged Nash with trafficking methamphetamine, aggravated assault on law enforcement, attempted removal of a weapon from a law enforcement officer, and obstructing or hindering law enforcement. Deputies booked him at the Stephens County Jail.
Shirley says additional charges are likely to follow. Nash is currently on federal parole.
Authorities also arrested a female passenger who was traveling with Nash. Sheriff Shirley identified her as Melissa Grizzle. Deputies charged her with trafficking meth.
Shirley expressed gratitude to the agencies involved in the search, including Georgia State Patrol Posts 7 (Toccoa) and 52 (Hartwell), the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Toccoa Police Department, and the sheriff’s offices in Hart, Hall, Franklin, and Rabun counties.
He also thanked the “vigilant members of the community” who helped apprehend Nash.
