Published: September 23, 2009 03:44 pm      

ROBBERY ATTEMPT LEADS TO WILD CHASE

Tennessee pair caught after 3-county pursuit

Two Tennessee men attempted to rob a local convenience store Sunday night, according to police reports. The pair - 20-year-old Christopher Cutshall of Afton, Tenn. and Brandon Fox, 20, of Greenville, Tenn. - allegedly tried to rob the Fast Track Store at I-75 and County Road 143. Police say the men only got away with $27 in gas and were apprehended a short time later.

According to the report filed by the Jennings Police Department, Cutshall entered the store intending to rob it. He told the clerk to turn on the gas pump so his "brother" could pump gas. The clerk complied and Fox began pumping gas into a gold 1997 Cadillac.

Cutshall placed two Mountain Dew soft drinks on the counter and requested two cartons of Marlboro Reds. The bill was $100.20. When the clerk asked him if that was all he wanted, Cutshall said he wanted the merchandise and the money and that "he wasn't afraid to use his gun," according to police reports. He is then alleged to have produced a .380 caliber pistol from the waist of his shorts.

The clerk told Cutshall that he had his hand on the silent alarm and that there was a deputy behind the store. Cutshall then fled the store, say police. He and passenger Fox departed southbound on I-75 with $27.00 in gas.

As Jennings Police Officer Drew Carroll was responding to the scene at the store, Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputies pursued the vehicle south on I-75 at speeds topping 120 miles per hour. Members of the Jasper Police Department, White Springs Police Department and Jennings Police Department as well as the Florida Highway Patrol joined in the chase.

Cutshall drove south on I-75 crossing through Suwannee County and into Columbia County. After exiting I-75 at US 90 in Lake City, he re-entered I-75 and began traveling north again. After Deputy Mike Cohen and Officer Carroll deployed stop sticks in two lanes of traffic, Cutshall's right front tire deflated and his speed fell to 60 miles per hour. Deputy Jeramie Cheshire was able to force him from the road.

The pair abandoned the car and hid in the woods just north of mile marker 462 on I-75, say police. They were apprehended by the Hamilton Correctional Institution's canine unit. They remain in the Hamilton County Jail, where they are being held without bond.

The high-speed chase more than an hour and spanned three counties.

Cutshall was charged with armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, aggravated assault, three counts of conspiracy, aggravated fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer, reckless driving, unlawful speed, carrying a concealed weapon and tampering with evidence.

Fox was charged with armed robbery, three counts of conspiracy, carrying a concealed firearm, tampering with evidence, petit theft and resisting arrest without violence.

"Thanks to the quick response time from local law enforcement, we were able to stop these two," Jennings Police Chief Faron Gantous told the Jasper News. "Ironically, this Fast Track has been the victim of robbery four times in the past eight years. Of those, the most memorable was a father-son duo who were also from Tennessee, and were also arrested while still in Hamilton County."

Sheriff J Harrell Reid also expressed his thanks to cooperating agencies.

"I appreciate all the cooperation we received from Jennings Police Department, Jasper Police Department, White Springs Police Department and Florida Highway Patrol," Reid said. "The fact that this pursuit lasted more than one hour and covered three counties, at these speeds with no injuries, is a credit to all the officers involved."