YORK COUNTY, Va. — A man is in custody in York County after he allegedly hit a deputy with his vehicle and dragged another deputy while trying to escape arrest.
Around 4:15 a.m., two deputies with the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office who were on routine patrol came upon two occupied vehicles parked behind a closed business in the 4800 block of George Washington Memorial Highway, according to Sheriff Ron Montgomery.
An investigation revealed that the driver of one of the vehicles – 21-year-old Emeril Carpenter – was wanted out of Gloucester County on misdemeanor drug charges.
When deputies approached the car to arrest Carpenter, he drove away, hitting one of the deputies and dragging the other a short distance, Sheriff Montgomery said. The suspect also hit a marked Sheriff’s Office vehicle in the process.
Deputies attempted to catch up to Carpenter as he pulled behind an abandoned house and fled into the woods on foot. A search was conducted, but deputies were not able to find him.
He was found at 11 a.m. in the parking lot of the Patriot Square Shopping Center. Deputies then chased the suspect through the woods again, before he was finally captured on Allen Harris Drive just before 11:30 a.m.
Carpenter, a Gloucester County resident, now faces several felony charges related to this incident:
- Malicious Bodily Injury to Law Enforcement - Felony
- Elude and Evade - Felony
- Hit and Run - Felony
- Possession of Burglary Tools - Felony
- Obstruction of Justice by Force - Felony
- Misdemeanor Traffic Offenses
The Superintendent of York County School Division shared a message with 13News Now that was sent to families of Dare Elementary School in relation to the manhunt.
In the message sent around 8:30 a.m., the school principal said an increased police presence at the school was a precautionary measure as the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office investigated a "community concern."