Johnston City man charged with vehicle theft, fleeing police | Crime

WILLIAMSON COUNTY (KFVS) - A Johnston City man was arrested Saturday after a high speed chase that ended in a crash.

Patrick Perkins, 26, of Johnston City has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle.

On Saturday, Dec. 1 at around 10 a.m., Williamson County deputies took a theft of vehicle complaint at a home on Route 37 north of Johnston City. The vehicle had been left unlocked with a key in the ignition and was last seen driving north on Route 37.

The vehicle was then seen turning onto the southbound lanes of Interstate 57 at around 11:40 a.m. Johnston City officers tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop and sped up to over 80 miles per hour.

The vehicle kept driving on south I-57 and then exited onto Interstate 24 eastbound, where the vehicle reached speeds of over 120 miles per hour as it traveled through Johnson and Massac counties. 

At the Big Bay exit overpass, the driver tried to pass another vehicle by driving between the vehicle and the guardrail, according to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office. The driver then lost control and went off the road, coming to rest near the boundary fence on the south side of the interstate.

The driver was then taken into custody by Johnston City officers, Williamson County deputies and Massac County deputies and was later identified as Patrick Perkins.

Perkins was taken to the Williamson County Jail and charged with theft of a motor vehicle, driving while license suspended and aggravated fleeing or eluding. 

Perkins was held on a $3,000 cash bond.

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