Arrest Announced in Monday Chase

A foot chase Monday in Stephens County leads to one arrest.

According to Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley, it started at about 9 a.m. Monday when deputies responded to a vacant home on Georgia Highway 106 near Old Mize Road regarding a burglary in progress.

Shirley said that deputies arrived and began questioning a man and woman that were at the property.

“When deputies were questioning the male subject, he had no identification on him and the name he gave them to check the GCIC/NCIC and the Driver’s License check revealed no record, which is uncommon,” said Shirley. “As deputies approached the male subject, he took off running and ran into a heavily wooded area.”

Shirley said K-9 tracking units were brought in and a perimeter was set up to locate the man, who was later identified as 35-year-old David A. Clark of Toccoa, but he was not found initially.

According to the sheriff, Clark had active warrants from Stephens County on drug related charges as well as a probation violation from Habersham County that stemmed from a weapon offense in a burglary.

He said authorities stayed in the area hoping to catch Clark.

“Because of the severity of the warrants that we learned he had against him, I had units to stay in the area to do a surveillance in the Buena Vista Drive area,” said Shirley. “That is the area where the last scent was lost and at about 1:30 that afternoon, they saw a subject laying in a ditch on Freeman Creek Road. As the deputies got out, he took off and they were able to catch him and after a brief struggle, they were able to take him under arrest.”

Clark was charged with Giving a False Name and Felony Obstruction of Law Enforcement in addition to his outstanding warrants.

He is at last report being held in the Stephens County Jail.

Shirley said the woman who was on scene was identified and released after it was determined through the course of the investigation that they actually had permission to be there on the property from the owner to view the home to possibly rent.