LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – A LaFollette man told officers he would have gotten away if his car was working properly. LaFollette Police Officer Cheyenne White saw a white Mercedes pull out from Murphy’s Gas Station and noticed the license plate was difficult to read due to the license plate light being dim. White ran a check of the vehicle’s registration and learned the license plate belonged to a Mercury Grand Marquis.

It was just after midnight on Sun., April 2, when White saw the Mercedes turn right onto South Cumberland Avenue. She attempted to initiate a traffic stop while the driver was stopped at the intersection of South Cumberland and East Beech Street.  However, the driver allegedly accelerated and went through the intersection failing to maintain his lane while topping a blind hill and driving recklessly, according to a report from the LaFollette Police Department. The driver continued to drive towards Long Hollow Road reaching speeds of 70 mph. While on Long Hollow Road the driver was allegedly driving in the middle of the road almost striking a black SUV. The driver passed two additional vehicles that came to a complete stop in their lane of traffic allowing the Mercedes to pass.

The driver continued from Long Hollow Road to Cedar Creek Bridge where he turned left, just past the bridge onto a gravel roadway. White was advised by dispatch that the road was a dead end. The driver drove the car round a house. The driver and the passenger then fled into a heavily wooded area. Campbell County Sheriff’s Sgt. Justin Phillips and Deputy Preston Mullins joined White. Phillips and Mullins were able to find the driver of the Mercedes on a wooded embankment, trying to conceal himself. The driver was identified as Jeffrey Dwaine Boggess, and he was placed in handcuffs. The passenger was unable to be located.

Ptl. Timothy Collingsworth transported Boggess to the jail where he asked him why he didn’t just stop to which Boggess replied he knew the tags were bad, he had no insurance and knew White would tow the car. He continued that he would’ve gotten away if the car was working properly and that it needed to be reprogrammed, and if it was, he would’ve gotten away.

Boggess, 66, 357 Griffith Lane, LaFollette was charged with evading arrest by concealment, speeding, failure to maintain lane, traffic control device, two counts felony reckless endangerment, violation light law, misuse of registration and evading by vehicle. Boggess, free on bond, is due in court this morning. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 04/13/2023-6AM)

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