Franklin Co. High Speed Chase Leads to Arrest

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

A high-speed chase in Franklin County leads to an arrest and the discovery of multiple thefts.

Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas says it happened on Thursday, February 4th.

Thomas says deputies were on routine patrol in Carnesville when they observed two vehicles, a blue car and a black Dodge pick-up, riding in a local subdivision.

According to Thomas, deputies stopped the blue car, but the pick up sped away and got on the Interstate where a high-speed chase began on I-85 southbound.

Meanwhile, Thomas says that a search of the blue car uncovered a large cache of items, including purses and other personal items that had been stolen about an hour earlier out of vehicles in the employee parking lot of TI Automotive in the Gateway Industrial Park on Georgia Highway 59 in Hart County.

Thomas says the driver of the small blue vehicle was arrested.

He is identified as 18-year old Julian Amir Tucker, of East Point, Georgia.

Tucker is currently incarcerated at the Franklin County Detention Center for Possession of a controlled substance.

In the meantime, Thomas says deputies continued the pursuit of the black Dodge truck on I-85 until the driver lost control and hit a metal guard railing just south of the Petro truck stop at Exit 160.

The driver then jumped out of the truck and ran.

At that point, Thomas says an intensive search was conducted with K-9 tracking teams and law enforcement aviation units from the Georgia State Patrol as well as the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, but the suspect was never found.

Thomas says the Dodge truck was recovered and deputies confirmed it had been stolen from TI Automotive in Hart County.

According to Thomas, both suspects are believed to have been involved in thefts in Franklin and Hart counties, along with Oconee County, South Carolina, in which he says the suspects looked for vehicles to enter along the Interstate in Georgia and South Carolina.

In addition to the Franklin County charges, Tucker is also wanted in Hart County where authorities there have obtained active felony warrants for crimes they believe he committed within their jurisdiction.

Tucker remains in the Franklin County Detention Center.