What started as a routine traffic stop over tinted windows in Livingston on Tuesday turned into a two-state pursuit that ended with a car crashing into a Pickett County Sheriff's deputy's patrol unit near the Kentucky line. Two Florida men were taken into custody after suspected narcotics and firearms were allegedly tossed from their fleeing vehicle along the way.
According to WSMV, Livingston police officers tried to pull the vehicle over for a window tint violation, but the driver took off instead of stopping. Officers pursued the car north along Byrdstown Highway into Pickett County, where sheriff's deputies and the Tennessee Highway Patrol joined in to help, per the Pickett County Sheriff's Office.
Troopers tried to end the chase near the Wolf River bridge, deploying spike strips on the northern side, but the attempt did not stop the vehicle, the station's report says. The pursuit kept going until it crossed the Tennessee state line into Kentucky, where deputies with the Clinton County Sheriff's Office also joined the chase.
Crash Ends the Chase at the Kentucky Line
The pursuit finally ended when the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a Pickett County Sheriff's deputy patrol car, per the same account. No injuries were reported among the officers or the two people in the fleeing vehicle, which held two occupants, later identified as Christian Messick and Michaelan Robinson, both of Florida.
Pickett County authorities detained Messick and Robinson before Clinton County, Kentucky, authorities formally took them into custody, the report notes. Investigators say a large quantity of suspected narcotics and multiple firearms were thrown from the vehicle during the pursuit and later recovered by Livingston police and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The recovered items were transported to the Pickett County Sheriff's Office for evidence collection.
Charges Filed in Kentucky, Per Local Radio Report
According to Laker Country 104.9 FM WJRS, Messick faces Clinton County charges of wanton endangerment of a police officer, possession of methamphetamine, and fleeing or evading police. The station also reported that authorities found a substantial amount of marijuana in the vehicle, adding a felony marijuana trafficking charge against Messick.
Robinson, identified by the outlet as being from Panama City Beach, Florida, was charged with possession of methamphetamine. Laker Country reported that Messick was lodged in the Clinton County Jail, while Robinson was booked into the Russell County Detention Center.
Sheriff Credits Cross-Border Cooperation
In the agency's press release, Pickett County Sheriff Dana Dowdy thanked the Livingston Police Department, Clinton County Sheriff Ricky Marcum and his deputies, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol for their roles in the pursuit. Dowdy said every officer involved in the chase returned home safely, and credited the recovery of the suspected narcotics and firearms, along with the arrests, as proof of the value of interagency cooperation.
Dowdy added that agencies should be willing to assist one another across city, county, and state boundaries to protect their communities. The Pickett County Sheriff's Office said it remains committed to supporting neighboring law enforcement agencies, removing dangerous drugs from communities, and keeping citizens and officers safe, and said it will stand ready to assist neighboring agencies whenever called upon.
