A vehicle pursuit through Ruston ended with a man found hiding in a bedroom closet at an apartment complex Tuesday afternoon.
Derrian D. Maxwell, 33, of Ruston, was arrested Oct. 13 by the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office on charges of flight from an officer in a vehicle, flight from an officer on foot, resisting an officer and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He also was booked on three outstanding warrants for failure to appear on charges of hit and run, expired license plate and driver’s license suspension.
A sergeant was patrolling the area of South Farmerville Street and Texas Avenue looking for a suspect who had trespassed from Village Green Trailer Park, according to an arrest affidavit. A maintenance worker there said the suspect had returned to the property and that they were following the suspect through Ruston. A registration check on the vehicle’s license plate showed it was heading north on South Farmerville Street.
The sergeant saw the vehicle pass going south at Texas Avenue and positioned a patrol unit behind it at South Farmerville Street and MLK Drive. When the vehicle turned east onto MLK Drive, the sergeant activated emergency lights and sirens. The vehicle continued east, then turned south onto Gill Street. When it became apparent the driver was not going to stop, the sergeant advised dispatch of a pursuit.
The vehicle then turned left onto Second Street, heading east, and pulled into Brooks Village Apartments, where the subject fled on foot. The subject ran south toward MLK Drive, went through a fence and then headed east toward McAllister Drive.
Deputies set up a perimeter and called for a K-9. The vehicle’s owner told the sergeant she had not given anyone permission to drive her car and that she had been sleeping and did not know anyone was in it. The K-9 conducted an area search, and based on its findings, deputies were granted access to two apartments to search for the suspect. Maxwell was found in the master bedroom closet of the second apartment, hiding behind a pile of clothes.
Maxwell was advised of his rights, handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol vehicle. A name search showed he had three outstanding warrants. When asked, Maxwell said he knew about the warrants and that was why he ran. He was taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center and booked.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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