Whitmore faces mountain of charges

A man who led lawmen on a chase which covered two counties was bound to the grand jury Tuesday after he waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
With his own attorney saying he hoped suspect Todd A. Whitmore, 37, did not get ‘carpal tunnel’ from signing the numerous waivers to his charges, the accused was bound to the grand jury by General Sessions Judge Larry Ross on charges of aggravated assault, vandalism, possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, resisting stop, using stolen tags, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, driving on a suspended license, not wearing a seatbelt, and driving without insurance.
In all, Whitmore was bound on 15 criminal counts stemming from the chase last month. However, it was his violation of probation charge, brought about by the chase, which has him still behind bars, serving his violation time while waiting for his new cases to be heard by the grand jury.
The chase began early last month after deputy Jason Richardson topped a hill and found Whitmore’s vehicle stopped in the road. The deputy said the suspect gunned his engine as he pulled in behind him, trying to evade the officer.
The suspect then pulled into a driveway and turned off his lights once he had a slight lead on the pursuing deputy, hoping to give the officer the slip. However, Richardson saw the suspect’s vehicle and pulled into the driveway behind him, prompting Whitmore to again gun his engine, this time heading through the front yard of someone’s home before making it back to the road.
Whitmore then got onto Highway 30 hearing toward Van Buren County as other officers joined the pursuit. Deputy Brad Myers, who joined the chase, said Whitmore veered toward him as they met on the highway, prompting the officer to have to swerve to avoid a crash.
The chase continued into Van Buren County with the suspect reportedly throwing on his brakes trying to get the officers to run into the rear of his vehicle. It was as he approached Baker Mountain Road he began experiencing mechanical problems prompting parts of his vehicle to begin flying off, parts pursuing officers had to avoid while continuing the chase.
The car came to a stop minutes later but not before Whitmore allegedly threw the dying vehicle in reverse and slammed into one of the sheriff’s units as it pulled in to park behind him, the impact moving the cruiser back about six feet. Whitmore was snagged by deputy Myers after the fugitive vaulted two barbed wire fences and tried to hide in the nearby woods.
A subsequent investigation found Whitmore was driving on a suspended license, suspended for his non-payment of fines. Lawmen also found a plastic tube and a scale in his possession with a white powder residue leading to the drug paraphernalia charge.