Crockett Driver Arrested After Multi-County, Multi-Agency Chase
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – Crockett Police Department (CPD) officers had to work across counties to catch a Crockett woman, accused of hit-and-run and leading officers on a high speed chase across several counties.
In a public statement, CPD described the events surrounding the arrest:
“On Feb. 28, at about 10 p.m., CPD officers were dispatched to a business in the 1200 block of East Loop 304 in reference to a hit and run. The caller reported a person driving a white BMW sedan had crashed into their vehicle, then refused to stop.
Responding officers located the white BMW on South Loop 304 near SH 19 South and attempted to pull it over. The driver of the BMW refused to stop and led officers on a high speed pursuit around South Loop 304, then eventually turning south onto US 287 South.
Officers continued pursuing the vehicle and were soon joined by deputies with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office. With speeds reaching over 100 m.p.h., the pursuit continued into Trinity County. There, Trinity County Sheriff’s Office deputies were able to use ‘stop sticks’ to deflate some of the tires on the BMW, but the driver still refused to stop.
The pursuit continued out of Trinity County and entered Polk County, where deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, officers with the Corrigan Police Department and Texas DPS troopers joined in. As the pursuit entered Corrigan, a deputy with the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office utilized a ‘pit’ maneuver to force the BMW to stop.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as Crystal Ruther Taber (age 40 from Crockett), was taken into custody without further incident. Officers searched the vehicle and located a small amount of suspected methamphetamine.
Taber was taken to the Houston County Jail and charged with:
1. Evading Arrest/Detention with Vehicle (3rd Degree Felony)
2. Possession of a Controlled Substance PG 1 <1 Gram (State Jail Felony)
3. Driving While License Invalid with Previous Conviction (Class B Misdemeanor)”
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
