PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Mingo County man was arrested in Pike County over the weekend, after leading police on a chase reaching up to 135 miles an hour.
A state trooper clocked a Nissan Rogue doing 93 mph on U.S. 119 just after 9:30 Friday morning. The trooper attempted to pull the car over, but it continued to speed up, leading to a chase over the next 7.6 miles at speeds in excess of 120 mph nearly the entire way. The trooper noted in his report that the car was weaving in and out of traffic until it encountered traffic blocking both lanes and was forced to stop.
When the officer spoke to the driver, identified as Jesse Smith, 48, of Matewan, he said he was rushing his wife to the hospital because she was having a seizure. The trooper wrote in his report that the woman appeared to be under the influence, but was not in need of medical attention. He also noted that Smith sped past a turnoff to Pikeville Medical Center without stopping.
Smith also failed a field sobriety test.
The officer then spotted that Smith’s son was in the back seat of the car and had been during the chase.
Smith was arrested and charged with DUI, wanton endangerment, and numerous traffic violations.
