A bold daytime burglary at a vacant house in the 1700 block of Highway 489 on Wednesday ended with a vehicle chase, spike strips, and two suspects in custody after authorities deployed pursuit tactics to prevent the vehicle from reaching heavier traffic.
Thomas C. Williams, of Lake, and Cassie L. Jobe, of Brandon, were arrested and face pending charges after leading deputies on an estimated 25 miles chase.
According to Newton County Sheriff Jody Pennington, the April 1 incident began when the suspects backed a U-Haul truck up to the front door of the unoccupied residence and began loading items into it. A witness observed the activity and alerted law enforcement, who were quick to respond.
Upon the arrival of deputies, the suspects fled from the scene in the U-Haul truck, triggering a pursuit. At one point in the chase, deputies deployed spike strips, which punctured some of the tires on the U-Haul.
Despite the damaged tires, the suspects continued driving for roughly 10 more miles on the rims. The pursuit wound through multiple roads before the vehicle turned onto Morgan Field Road in Newton.
With the possibility of the suspects reaching increased traffic on Highway 80, Pennington instructed deputies to use a pit maneuver to put an end to the pursuit, which they did successfully.
Both Williams, the driver of the U-Haul, and Jobe were taken into custody at the scene without further incident.
