23-year old Terrance Hughes faces drug charges
The driver who disappeared after he fled from a road check and crashed his car in Demorest Wednesday night has been captured. A public notice on the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page says Terrance Hughes was taken into custody at the Super 8 motel in Helen. He was arrested with assistance from the Helen Police Department and Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office.
ARDEO’s Mitchell Posey says Hughes was arrested Thursday night. Packets of heroin were allegedly found in his car. “We knew he was doing this stuff, just never had gotten him (before),” Posey says.
Hughes is charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Suspect runs after wreck
Habersham County Sheriff’s Lt. Floyd Canup says Hughes fled from deputies at Frosty Lane and Central Avenue just before 9:45 p.m. on May 11. While running from deputies in his car he rounded a curve on Central Avenue, lost control, struck a concrete wall in front of the old Demorest schoolhouse and hit a utility pole. Hughes then fled on foot, scaling the schoolyard fence to elude capture.
Canup says Hughes – whose name was not made public until his arrest – was injured in the accident.
One witness watched the scene unfold Wednesday night from the gas station across the street.
“I looked up in time to see the car hit the pole but it was too dark to see more,” she told Now Habersham. “I stepped outside in time to watch two police cars race past. They went around the schoolhouse after the driver. The driver was spooked back across the playground by blue lights. He looked around confused as he looked for an escape route. He jumped back over the fence and crossed the street, where he jumped the fence into a neighbor’s yard.”
The eyewitness says officers attempted to stop the suspect with a verbal warning. She says the suspect then “ran off into the night.”
Late night search causes concern
Law enforcement searched for Hughes in nearby neighborhoods. That stirred concern among residents who say they weren’t notified about what was happening. Several commented on Facebook after Now Habersham posted a report about the incident.
One woman wrote, “We got worried so we called the sheriff’s office because for several hours there were cops going by our house one right after the other and were only told to just keep our doors locked.”
Another woman posted, “I sure wish that they would let the locals know, especially if they are going to keep riding around with spot lights (sic) shining.”
Canup says Hughes was not considered dangerous.
