Person County Deputy Hospitalized After Chase, Crash

“Before they even turned the lights on, the guy started trying to evade, trying to get away from him (the deputy),” Person County Sheriff Dewey Jones said.

Deputies were after Joshua Adam Campbell, 23, for violating his probation and to serve a misdemeanor warrant.

Jones said the chase started when Sgt. Mitch Carr tried to stop Campbell on Mollie Mooney Road at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

The chase went on for roughly 10 miles and reached speeds of nearly 100 mph. Carr's cruiser then ran off Denny’s Store Road and hit several trees near the Person-Granville county line.

“The officers that were close by, actually passed the scene where he (Carr) was, because you couldn't tell where he had run off the road,” Jones said.

Campbell kept going. Deputies found his 2001 Mercury Sable parked at his mother's house in Vance County. She said she didn't know where he was.

Campbell was arrested at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday. He faces a slew of charges, including reckless driving, fleeing arrest, felony hit and run, failure to stop for an injured person and speeding. He was being held Sunday night on a $450,000 bond.

Carr, 40, was transported by helicopter to Duke University Hospital where he was listed in critical condition. Carr had a punctured lung, collapsed lung and broken bones.

“Everyone that's been to the scene said he's a very lucky man,” Jones said.

Carr has worked in law enforcement for 15 years.

Jones said even though the chase happened in a rural area, other cars were on the road and could have been hit. In response, the sheriff's department plans to review its police chase policy in the coming weeks.