A Catawba County man faces multiple charges following a late-night vehicle chase that spanned three counties and reached speeds of more than 100 miles per hour.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol arrested 34-year-old Vaughn Paul Mitchell III of Nicole Court in Claremont late Tuesday night (September 30). He is charged with felony flee to elude arrest, resisting a public officer, injury to real property, carrying a concealed weapon, failure to heed blue lights and siren, aggressive driving, and speeding.
According to the Highway Patrol, troopers were conducting a license checkpoint on NC 16 near Shell Hollar Road around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday when a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu approached. After the driver was asked to pull to the shoulder because he did not have identification, he refused and sped away, sparking the pursuit.
The chase continued north on NC 16 into Alexander County before Mitchell turned onto U.S. 64 and then into Iredell County, eventually entering I-40 westbound toward Catawba County. Troopers reported that Mitchell’s vehicle reached speeds in excess of 100 mph during the pursuit.
At one point, a trooper attempted a precision immobilization technique (PIT maneuver) as the vehicle merged onto I-40, but the effort was unsuccessful. The pursuit ended shortly afterward at mile marker 133 when the Malibu struck stop sticks deployed by troopers, disabling the car. Mitchell pulled onto the NC 16 ramp (mile marker 132) and was taken into custody without incident. A female passenger in the vehicle was not charged.
Mitchell was also served with three outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest. He is being held in the Catawba County Detention Facility under a $125,001 bond. His vehicle was seized under North Carolina’s “Run and You’re Done” law, which allows authorities to confiscate a vehicle used in certain felony speeding-to-elude cases.
Court records show Mitchell had a District Court appearance scheduled for Wednesday (October 1) and is also set to appear in Superior Court on November 20.
