By By Robbie Byrd and Laura Courson, Staff Writers
Although relatively quiet, the July 4th holiday period kept County and local law enforcement officials busy over the long weekend.
A Brewton man was arrested on Wednesday evening and charged with several traffic violations, gas theft and second-degree assault.
Chris Johnson, who was driving with a suspended license, allegedly drove away from the BP gas station located on Hwy. 21 North without paying for his gasoline.
After leaving the gas station, Johnson was spotted by Atmore Police. When APD officers tried to apprehend Johnson, he attempted to flee. A high-speed car chase then began at approximately 6:43 p.m.
Atmore police attempted to box Johnson's car in with their patrol cars.
In an attempt to escape from the police, Johnson rammed one of the officer's cars.
The officer was not injured and the chase ended shortly thereafter. The chase lasted approximately 30 minutes.
APD Chief Bruce Lovett was pleased with the outcome of the incident.
Johnson is currently being held in the Brewton jail.
Woman lost along creek
In a separate incident, an eight-hour search yielded the rescue of a woman lost along the banks of the Big Escambia Creek near the Sardine bridge.
While shaken, the woman was not injured.
The woman was reported missing at approximately 8 p.m. Thursday evening by her husband.
According to Captain Mike McMullen, the woman and her husband were separated from their group floating down the creek. The woman and her husband stopped along a creek bank and her husband walked into a wooded area long the banks looking for assistance. When he returned at approximately 7 p.m., his wife was gone.
He immediately left the scene and called 911.
Officials with the Escambia County Rescue Squad and the Flomaton Rescue Squad searching for approximately eight hours before finding the woman approximately a half a mile from where she was last seen.
While Escambia County Sheriff's Department officials would not release the name of the lost woman, McMullen did say that the woman and her husband were in their 30s.
McMullen said the efforts of both rescue squads on scene were a big factor in the timely rescue of the woman.
Concert causes annoyances
A concert off of Old Castleberry Road, touted to be a large hip-hop and R&B concert turned out to be only a slight nuisance to surrounding residents.
McMullen said the E.C.S.O. received several complaints concerning the concert, organized by Knight Entertainment Productions, but were unable to intervene.
The concert was slated to have several large hip-hop and R&B artists on hand, but attendance averages were extremely low according to the E.C.S.O.
Only 250 people are estimated to have been at the concert at its largest point.
The concert, scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Thursday, lasted into the night, creating a nuisance for many area residents.
The concert yielded no other complaints to the Sheriff's office.