A reported break-in at an old gas station on Dallas Acworth Highway turned into a dramatic road chase last Tuesday when a woman climbed into a U-Haul truck and sped off with a deputy close behind, weaving around traffic before a deputy forced the vehicle to a stop. Deputies arrested the driver, identified as Bobbie Eveans, once she bailed out of the truck, and a search turned up a five-gallon bucket of copper wire inside.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, deputies were sent to the old gas station after a suspicious activity call tied to the break-in. People inside the building refused orders to come out, according to Deputy James Turner, and as deputies moved in, a woman exited the front of the building and climbed into the U-Haul with a deputy following close behind.
Body camera footage captured the deputy shouting, “Get out of the car! Get out of the car! Now!” The woman replied, “OK, I will!” — but instead of complying, she drove off while deputies pursued the truck.
Truck Weaves Off-Road Before Deputy Steps In
The U-Haul weaved around traffic cones and other vehicles and went off-road at one point during the pursuit before a deputy used a PIT maneuver to bring it to a stop, the outlet reported. Eveans was taken into custody after leaving the stopped truck. Deputy Turner said safety factors weigh heavily in the decision to use the maneuver at all. “Traffic conditions, weather conditions, all of that comes into play,” he said, per the same account.
The Paulding County Sheriff's Office released dash and body camera footage of the pursuit and provided the interview with Turner explaining how deputies evaluate those risks before acting. Authorities have not said how far the pursuit traveled before the PIT maneuver was used, nor whether anyone was injured during the chase.
Copper Wire Found, but Its Origin Remains Unconfirmed
Investigators found the five-gallon bucket of copper wire inside the U-Haul, according to the sheriff's office, but they have not confirmed where the wire came from or whether it was taken from the abandoned gas station. It also remains unclear whether theft charges are pending, and authorities have not said whether the U-Haul itself was legally rented or stolen.
Three other people found at the scene — identified as Steven Haynes, Phillip Evans and Dana Garrett — were also taken into custody and charged with loitering. The property owner declined to press trespassing charges over the break-in, deputies said. By Friday afternoon, the three loitering suspects had bonded out of jail, while Eveans remained in custody, according to Paulding County jail records. The old gas station itself was demolished shortly after the incident.
A Pattern of U-Haul Pursuits in Paulding County
This isn't the first time a U-Haul chase has rattled Paulding County. In a separate pursuit reported by WSB-TV, a deputy struck a fleeing U-Haul to stop it only after confirming the road was clear of other cars, a sheriff's office spokesperson said at the time. That truck ultimately crashed and flipped onto its side, and deputies said they found drugs inside after smashing the windshield to remove the suspect.
Copper wire theft has also surfaced in other Paulding County cases. FOX 5 Atlanta previously reported that two suspects were arrested and charged with misdemeanor loitering or prowling and theft by taking after allegedly stealing building materials from homes under construction. PIT maneuvers themselves aren't without controversy in the region — a 2021 pursuit involving a Georgia State Patrol trooper ended with the death of 12-year-old Le'dan Boykins after a PIT maneuver was performed, according to the outlet's earlier coverage.
For now, the open questions in this latest case remain unresolved. Investigators have not said whether the copper wire ties back to the gas station break-in, and no word yet on additional charges tied to the U-Haul itself.
