One man captured and charged while another escapes on foot

The Demopolis Police Department has arrested a suspect after a high-speed chase into Hale County on Sunday, Nov. 12.

Donny Rayford Rowell, 26, of Thomasville led police at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and into Hale County before crashing his vehicle and led to his arrest on charges of attempting to elude police officers and first degree possession of marijuana.  A second person was in the vehicle, but ran away on foot into a wooded area, according to officials.

The incident began when a DPD patrol officer attempted to make a traffic stop on a black Nissan Altima on Hwy. 80 for improper lane usage. The driver did not stop and quickly accelerated to speeds of 115 miles per hour while traveling east toward Gallion, officials said.

Officers continued to pursue the suspect into Hale County onto Hwy. 69 north, then turning onto Hale County Road 12 where the driver wrecked the vehicle. According to police, the driver and a passenger jumped from the moving vehicle before it ran into a ditch on CR 12.

At that point, officers pursued the suspects on foot, catching up with Rowell while the other eluded the officers into a wooded area.

Once in custody, officials report that drugs where located in an area where the suspects had thrown something out of the vehicle. A backpack was also found containing three handguns, several magazine clips, ammunition and scales.

Rowell was processed and transported to the Marengo County Detention Center to await a bond hearing.

(This article originally appeared in the Saturday, November 22 issue of the Demopolis Times.)