Authorities looking for suspect in car crash

By Lori Cathey 

 

Law enforcement officials are looking for a suspect in a car crash.

The Gibson County Fire Department Station 9 Fire/Rescue and Good Luck Fire Department responded to the area of 48 Joe Patterson Road in Rutherford just before 5 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 after a report of a car crashing into a pond.

According to Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas, one of his deputies was patrolling around Rutherford and briefly followed a car to get its tag number. The vehicle made a couple of sudden turns in an effort to lose the deputy. The vehicle made a turn down a different road, and the deputy circled back to the area and saw the car, partially submerged in the pond. The deputy immediately jumped in the pond to make sure the driver wasn’t in the car.

“Upon arrival the vehicle was laying on the passenger side about 20 to 25 feet into the pond,” said Gibson County Fire Chief Bryant Cathey. “I quickly called for Russom’s Towing to pull the car out of the water in an attempt to find the driver, but no one was in the car.”

The Moores Chapel and Dyer Fire departments and Humboldt Area Rescue were called to help with the search. Firefighters began a grid search of the pond and outside of the pond, fields, around barns and a couple of houses to make sure the driver had not walked away injured.

Firefighters were on the scene for about six hours and were unable to find the driver of the car.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating this crash.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Gibson County Sheriff’s Department at 731-855-1121.