By Lorie Love
A Lexington man who allegedly led police on a late-night car chase through Richmond was indicted last week by a Madison County grand jury.
Tyrone Hartsfield, 31, of Kilkenny Drive, was indicted for two counts of first-degree fleeing or evading police, first-degree wanton endangerment, first-degree wanton endangerment, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, first-degree criminal mischief, tampering with physical evidence and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. He also was indicted for first-degree persistent felony offender, menacing, failure to maintain insurance, reckless driving and expired registration.
The charges stem from an incident which police say began in downtown Richmond and ended in a field on Red House Road.
Hartsfield was first spotted in the early morning hours of Aug. 27 by Richmond Police Officer Kurt Heatherton, who was on patrol in the downtown area.
Spotting a gold Honda Accord occupied by a male and female parked close to the Home Lumber Co. on North Third Street, at 1:42 a.m., the officer stopped to investigate.
As he neared the car, the driver, later identified as Hartsfield, started the vehicle and despite Heatherton’s commands for him to stop, started to flee the scene, said Sgt. Willard Reardon, public affairs officer for the Richmond Police Department.
Moving away from the area, Hartsfield was next spotted traveling north on Red House Road by Officer Joe Johnson.
When Johnson tried to initiate a traffic stop, Hartsfield stopped in the driveway of a home at 1509 Red House Road. However, police said he refused to turn off the vehicle or get out of it.
Hartsfield then allegedly accelerated up the driveway of the home and around a barn located on the property.
The residents of the home, aroused from sleep by the commotion outside, told officers that Hartsfield’s vehicle was over a hill behind the barn and appeared to be stuck, Reardon said.
Following the trail of the vehicle, officers noticed the suspect had driven through three wooden fences — setting free three horses as he crashed through — before becoming stuck on an embankment.
Johnson said the driver was “rocking the car back and forth” attempting to dislodge it when he approached the car.
The officers said he appeared “intoxicated and belligerent” and was taken into custody. As he was being searched by police, money fell from Hartsfield’s pocket.
“He stepped on the money and was rubbing it with his foot,” Reardon said. “When the money was retrieved by officers it was found to contain a small quantity of suspected cocaine.”
Testifying in district court, Johnson said a yellow baggie with a yellowish substance inside was found inside the money. When tested, it was found to be cocaine, the officer said.
The female who had been in the car throughout the chase made numerous attempts to get out of the vehicle, but Hartsfield had refused, police said. She was not charged with any of the offenses.
The grand jury indictment says Hartsfield caused more than $1,000 in damage to the property on Red House Road.
If convicted, Hartsfield could be sentenced with one to five years on most of the charges, however, the charge of persistent felony offender could enhance his sentence to 10 to 20 years.
Hartsfield is being held in the Madison County Detention Center in lieu of a $15,000 bond.
An indictment is a formal accusation and does not establish guilt.
Lorie Love can be reached at llove@richmondregister.com or 624-6690.
