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Wlaf1450Habitual offender Joshua Brown is facing 18 charges in his latest run-in with the law
LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- Little did La Follette Police Sergeant Isiah Lloyd know that when he spotted a stolen pick-up truck that he would have to pursue the truck all the way to Tazewell to get his man and recover the truck. The back story is that on August 5, 2024, a yellow Ford F-150 pick-up truck was reported stolen from a home on Sunshine Circle. Sgt. Lloyd saw that same yellow pick-up on the four lane Saturday evening, just before 7pm.
Lloyd, westbound on the four lane in his cruiser, received a Flock notification about the stolen truck. The notification alerted Sgt. Lloyd that the truck was traveling east on Jacksboro Pike near the high school. That’s when the officer made a U-turn and pursued the truck.
Lights and siren were initiated by Officer Lloyd as Joshua Brown, who was later identified, was behind the wheel of the truck all the while increasing speed through La Follette on Central Avenue. Brown allegedly sped away east through La Follette, to the east side of La Follette and up Highway 63 into the valley at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and eventually traveled into Claiborne County.
The truck kept the high rate of speed going into the construction zone on Hwy 63-General Stiner Hwy passing vehicles on a double yellow line as well as going into the oncoming lanes of traffic and passing vehicles on the shoulder, according to Sgt. Lloyd’s report. Claiborne County Deputies placed spike strips on the highway with Brown swerving to miss the strips near the T at Harrogate where Hwy 63-Stiner Hwy intersect with Highway 25E.
Brown turned at the T and headed south toward Tazewell on Highway 25E. During the ordeal, there just happened to be two passengers in the truck with Brown fearing for their lives, police say.
Tazewell Police shutdown the four lane highway, 25E, at the traffic lights at Cedar Fork Road and Main Street. Brown was forced to turn onto Cedar Fork Road where he traveled for another 9.8 miles before the truck became disabled in the oncoming lane of traffic. Jumping out of the pick-up truck, Brown then fell into a ditch and attempted to run away soon being caught by police.
Brown, with a large knife strapped to his belt was taken into custody concluding the 51 mile multi-jurisdictional pursuit. The two men in the truck with Brown were being held against their will and feared for their lives, based on the report from Sgt. Lloyd.
Eighteen charges were levied against Brown. Those charges are speeding 100 MPH in a 40 MPH zone, felony evading, reckless driving, reckless driving, violation of traffic control device, failure to stop at stop sign, no turn signal, reckless endangerment-two counts, false imprisonment, violation of window tint law, financial responsibility, driving without a license, possession of a stolen vehicle, resisting arrest, drivers to exercise due care, failure to maintain lane and two counts of no passing zone.
Brown remains housed this morning in the Campbell County Jail on a $75,000 bond. He’s next due in court on Thursday. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-10/22/2024-6AM-PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAMPBELL COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT)