A 44-year-old man has been charged with a felony after police say he led them on a pursuit from downtown Nashville that ended in Hamblen Township with speeds reaching up to 100 mph.
On May 31 just before 9 p.m., Nashville Police Office Cody Poynter was patrolling in Nashville when he reported seeing a black pickup truck speeding north near the State Road 46 East/135 North intersection. Poynter turned around to try to clock the vehicle’s speed, according to an incident report.
The driver, Perry Nathaniel Warfield, made an "abrupt" turn onto Franklin Street. Poynter turned onto Old Hickory Lane to get closer to the vehicle and saw it go north on Jefferson Street before turning west onto Main Street, the report states.
Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholson Briles was also in the area and was able to clock the vehicle driving 33 mph in a 20 mph zone. It continued to speed up as he attempted to catch up to it.
On Helmsburg Road, Poynter attempted to stop the vehicle for speeding, but the vehicle did not stop for his lights and siren.
Poynter had noticed a female passenger earlier, but by the time the vehicle was around the 1900 block of Helmsburg Road and he saw a plastic bag fly out the passenger side, he could no longer see her sitting in that seat, the report said.
As the vehicle turned onto State Road 45 at Helmsburg, it squealed its tires, causing smoke. The pursuit continued to State Road 135 North where the vehicle turned left, continuing at a high rate of speeds and disregarding Poynter’s lights and sirens, the report states.
Poynter wrote that speeds reached 100 mph while on 135 North. When the vehicle turned onto Hurdle Road, it began to stall, but Warfield was able to get it going again and kept driving.
The pursuit continued onto Spearsville Road to Peoga Road, then Sweetwater Trail. Police attempted to block the road at Sweetwater Trail and Peoga Road, but Warfield was able to get around it and continued south on Sweetwater Trail.
Warfield turned south on Ford Ridge Road, then onto Upper Salt Creek Road where speeds reached up to 70 mph, according to the report.
At the intersection with Gatesville Road, Warfield turned east onto Gatesville before turning south on Hoover Road where he got up to 70 mph again.
In the 900 block, Warfield’s truck died. Poynter pulled his patrol vehicle up to the driver’s door so Warfield could not run and drew his firearm, ordering Warfield to put his hands up, and he complied, the report states.
The passenger, 34-year-old Morgan Lambert of Brown County — was also taken into custody. She had two warrants for her arrest out of Johnson and Morgan counties. Charges had not been formally filed against her for this pursuit at this time. EMS was called to the scene to check out Lambert since she had been in the floorboard during the pursuit.
Warfield told police that he fled because he did not have a license. He denied throwing anything out the window. Police reported finding a digital scale in his right front pocket. Poynter went back to Helmsburg Road and reported finding a large bag of marijuana off the side of the road.
Warfield was arrested on preliminary charges of reckless driving and possession of marijuana. He also was cited for numerous traffic violations. On June 1, he was formally charged with a Level 6 felony for resisting law enforcement.
Warfield’s residence was listed as Trafalgar on the police report but as Bedford on court records.
