A late-night police chase along West Sugar Creek Road ended July 3 with a crash outside a Motel 6 and a Charlotte man, reportedly dressed as a woman, in handcuffs. Officers had first been called around midnight to check out a suspicious vehicle in an alley off Azalea Lane, according to court papers, and the encounter quickly escalated into a high-speed pursuit.
Police: 911 call led officers to an alley
Court documents reviewed by local outlets say officers responded to a midnight 911 call about a suspicious vehicle and found 34-year-old Johntavius McCleary on his knees in the alley with another man, allegedly engaged in a sexual act. The paperwork says McCleary then climbed into a white Dodge Journey and took off, sparking a chase. The pursuit ended when the vehicle lost control and crashed at the Motel 6 on West Sugar Creek Road, where officers arrested McCleary. Those details are reported by Charlotte Alerts News.
Booking photos show eluding charge
McCleary appears in a July 3 roundup of Mecklenburg County mugshots with a charge listed as “Flee, Elude Arrest With Motor Vehicle,” according to WCCB. The station’s gallery lists the arrest date as July 3 and shows McCleary among other people arrested that night, matching what local booking records reflect.
Why Sugar Creek attracts enforcement
West Sugar Creek has long been on the radar for law enforcement and city planners, with its cluster of motels and quick interstate access making the corridor a hot spot for prostitution and drug activity. A recent Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department sweep in the area, “Operation Nite Shade,” resulted in 21 arrests in mid-June, WBTV reported. Separate reporting by WFAE has detailed city efforts to buy and redevelop problem motels along the corridor in hopes of cutting crime.
Potential legal exposure
McCleary’s booking on a fleeing and eluding charge carries real legal stakes under North Carolina law. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-141.5 defines “speeding to elude arrest” as a Class 1 misdemeanor. The offense can be elevated to a felony when two or more aggravating factors are present, such as excessive speed, reckless driving, driving with a revoked license, or causing injury. Those aggravators can trigger stiffer penalties and driver license suspension or revocation if there is a conviction.
Booking photos and public arrest listings show McCleary in custody, and upcoming court filings will outline the full slate of charges, any bond conditions, and hearing dates. We will be watching official records and local dockets for what happens next.
