Man arrested after high-speed chase across 3 Pine Belt counties

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) – A traffic stop led to a high-speed chase across three, Pine Belt counties on Wednesday night.

Jones County Sheriff’s Department narcotics agents stopped a pickup truck at U.S. 11 south in Eastabuchie at Mak’s Convenience Store.

The driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Adrian Speights, of Prentiss, was asked to step out of the vehicle due to the strong odor of marijuana coming from the truck, JCSD said.

Adrian Speights (41)(Jones County Sheriff’s Department)

According to JCSD, Speights opened his driver’s door, and Agent Chase Smith leaned into the truck to get Speights out of the vehicle. Speights then sped away, dragging Smith 30 feet to 40 feet before Smith was shoved out of the pickup by Speights.

JCSD said that Smith was injured, and Agent Dalton Ainsworth stayed on scene to help him while the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office and AAA Ambulance Service responded.

Smith was treated at South Central Regional Medical Center for cuts, abrasions and bruises. He was later released and returned to service.

JCSD said that Lt. Jake Driskell and Sgt. Joel Brogan pursued the truck down Warren Mott Parkway to Interstate 59 south.

Speights took the Evelyn Gandy Parkway back to I-59 northbound, and then crossed the median on I-59, going south again.

Speights then turned on U.S.49 in Hattiesburg and went north towards Collins.

By the time the pursuit reached Collins, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, Covington County Sheriff’s Office and Collins Police Department all were involved.

JCSD said that Speights jumped the median on U.S. 49 in Collins, going north in the southbound lanes and nearly causing multiple head-on collisions.

According to JCSD, Driskell and Brogan used their department pickup to force Speights off the roadway and down an embankment to end the pursuit. Both the fleeing pickup and the JCSD pickup were damaged.

Speights' wrecked truck — Speights’ wrecked truck(Jones County Sheriff’s Department)

Speights was taken into custody by JCSD and transported to the Jones County Adult Detention Facility.

Driskell and Brogan sustained minor injuries in the incident, but remained in service and did not need medical transport.

When authorities searched Speights’ person, they found a firearm, 46 grams of methamphetamine, 3.5 grams of crack cocaine and 1.8 grams of powder cocaine.

Speights is a convicted felon and told JCSD narcotics agents that he ran because he didn’t want to go back to prison.

Speights faces the following charges: