FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) — A North Carolina woman faces multiple charges after leading a pursuit through multiple North Carolina and Virginia localities on Sunday night.
Virginia State Police say they were notified of a pursuit heading north on Route 220 from North Carolina toward Virginia involving members of the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 17.
According to police, the North Carolina units were pursuing a 2015 Jeep Patriot — which reportedly fired a weapon into a building — but they ended their pursuit after losing sight of the vehicle in Henry County.
A Virginia state trooper located the vehicle on Route 220 near Martinsville and activated his light, after which the vehicle sped away, reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, police say.
Authorities used a tire deflation device to stop the vehicle at the intersection of Route 220 and Route 40 in Rocky Mount, according to Virginia State Police. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says their deputies also assisted with the pursuit, which ended only minutes after crossing the Franklin County line at approximately 9 p.m. on Sunday.
State troopers say they used a K9 to recover a firearm — which was thrown from the vehicle in Henry County during the pursuit — believed to be used in the North Carolina shooting.
In addition, authorities took the driver — 25-year-old Heather Marie Ward of Eden, North Carolina — into custody without incident. Ward faces charges for felony eluding and reckless driving from Virginia State Police, but additional charges are reportedly pending in North Carolina.
