Atmore man, initially asleep at wheel, leads APD on felony-level chase
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The following felony arrests were reported by officers of the Atmore Police Department (APD) during the period March 2-8:
Jordan Lassiter
The 29-year-old Atmore man was jailed March 8 after police investigated a report of an unconscious man who was behind the wheel of a moving vehicle.
According to police reports, officers were sent around 10:30 a.m. to the intersection of Church Street and Third Avenue, where Lassiter was reportedly slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle that was moving forward.
The first officer to arrive was flagged down by a citizen and informed the vehicle had just left at a high rate of speed, driven by a man who “appeared to be impaired.” The officer spotted the suspect vehicle a short distance away and activated his emergency blue lights and siren in an attempt to make a traffic stop.
Instead, Lassitter accelerated at a high rate of speed — well over the posted 25-mph limit. Due to Lassitter’s “total disregard for the safety of pedestrians and other vehicles,” the officer terminated the pursuit, although he was able to determine which street Lassitter turned on. A second officer saw Lassitter pull into a driveway, and he was taken into custody without further incident.
Lassitter was booked into the Escambia County Detention Center, charged with one count each of felony attempting to elude a police officer, DUI, reckless driving, failure to stop at signal and exceeding reasonable road speed
He remained in the county jail Monday afternoon, March 10.
Montay Harris
The 35-year-old Atmore man was arrested March 3 on felony drug possession charges after he ran from police who pulled his vehicle over because he wasn’t wearing a seat belt.
According to police reports, the vehicle was stopped around 11:50 a.m. The location was not disclosed. The reporting officer “noticed suspicious behavior and requested a K9 officer respond to the scene.” The dog “alerted” on the vehicle, leading to a probable cause search.
Several dozen grams of synthetic marijuana (Spice) were discovered during the search, as were several grams of Ecstasy and several small, plastic baggies that are commonly used to package narcotics.
While the officers were conducting the search, Harris took off running but was caught after a brief foot pursuit. He is charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count each of possession of drug paraphernalia and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer.
Harris remained in the Escambia County Detention Center (ECDC) Monday morning, March 10, according to jail records.
Lynsey Linam
APD reports show the 32-year-old Atmore woman was arrested March 4 when a small amount of synthetic marijuana was found inside her vehicle, which had been pulled over because it “was not displaying a license plate.”
The pullover took place around 2:55 p.m. on Jack Springs Road. As the reporting officer talked with the woman, he “noticed that Linam appeared lethargic” and called for a K9 officer.
The dog alerted on the vehicle, prompting a probable cause search that yielded “a small amount of synthetic cannabis (Spice) and marijuana.”
Linam was booked into the ECDC on one count each of possession of a controlled substance and second-degree possession of marijuana. She was released March 5.
William Pettie
Pettie, 58, of Montgomery, was also arrested March 4 after police blue-lighted his vehicle because he failed to maintain his lane of travel as he drove along Alabama 21, then found trace amounts of methamphetamine in a glass pipe found inside the vehicle.
The traffic stop occurred around 10:50 a.m. As the officer questioned Pettie, he “noted suspicious behavior and requested consent to search the vehicle,” reports indicate. During that search, the officer discovered the glass pipe, which contained meth residue.
Pettie was placed under arrest and booked into the ECDC on one count each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Jail records show he was released on March 5.
Xavier Thomas
The 26-year-old Atmore man, on the verge of being arrested on March 8 and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession, instead found himself booked into the county jail as a felony fugitive after police checked his identification.
According to police reports, around 3:05 p.m. an officer pulled over a vehicle that was traveling along North Main Street without a license plate.
The officer “noted suspicious behavior” as he talked with Thomas, the vehicle’s driver, and a K9 unit was called to the scene. The K9 indicated that some illicit substance was in the vehicle, and a search turned up a small amount of marijuana.
A computer check of Thomas’ ID revealed he was wanted by the Okaloosa County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office for possession of dangerous drugs and he was jailed on local charges of being a fugitive from justice and second-degree possession of marijuana.
He was processed into the ECDC and remained there Monday afternoon, March 10, awaiting extradition to Okaloosa County.