A Cleveland man is facing charges after officials said he sped through Habersham County, crossed into White County, and then fled on foot.
Habersham County deputies charged Jeffrey Andrew Thornton, 45, of Cleveland, with multiple violations including fleeing and attempting to elude, possession of methamphetamine, probation violation, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, and littering.
According to Habersham County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Rob Moore, the Georgia State Patrol also charged Thornton with driving under the influence.
Moore says the incident started when a Habersham County deputy attempted to pull over a white Honda van on Duncan Bridge Road near Pea Ridge Road just after 4 a.m. Sunday, June 9.
“The driver of the van failed to yield and continued to drive at a high rate of speed, crossing the bridge into White County,” says Moore.
Once inside White County, Moore says the van “abruptly turned left onto Webster Lake Road, traveled through a ditch and a fence, then fled the vehicle on foot.”
A Helen Police Department K-9 unit found Thornton a short time later hiding behind a stack of cement blocks about 75 yards from the vehicle.
Deputies booked him in at the Habersham County Detention Center in Clarkesville, where he remained on Monday, June 10.
