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ELKINS - A Randolph County man faces a felony charge after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase through Elkins and on the Beverly Five Lane after the July 4th fireworks display.
Andrew Lee McCloud, 30, of Mill Creek is charged with fleeing from a law enforcement officer in a vehicle showing a reckless indifference to safety of others, a felony. He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $15,000 cash-only bond.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Patrolman First Class D.T. Sayre with the Elkins City Police Department, on the evening of July 4, Sayre received a call from 911 in reference to a motorcycle with a male driver "recklessly" driving on Davis Avenue in Elkins. Once on Davis Avenue, Sayre observed the motorcycle turn onto Third Street.
The driver then "proceeded to rapidly accelerate in speeds of excessive of the 25 mile per hour speed limit," the complaint states. Sayre activated his emergency lights and sirens, however the motorcycle then turned on Randolph Avenue "crossing the double yellow line with other motorists in the roadway."
Witnesses said Randolph Avenue was jammed with traffic, with motorists leaving the downtown area after the conclusion of the July 4th fireworks display.
The motorcycle continued "driving at speeds in excess" as he turned toward the Beverly Five-Lane, the complaint states. Once on the Five-Lane, Sayre writes that the driver "continued to flee at high speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, weaving in and out of the flow of traffic," passing several vehicles in both the slow and turning lanes.
According to the complaint, the driver began to slow down as he turned right into the GoMart parking lot on the Beverly Five Lane, but then continued to flee onto Ward Road at speeds in excess of 70 mph. The driver then turned onto Ebbermans Creek before stopping at a residence.
Sayre writes that the driver, later identified as McCloud, proceeded to get off the motorcycle and flee on foot. Officers from the Elkins Police Department, the Randolph County Sheriff's Office and the West Virginia State Police set up a perimeter in the area to apprehend McCloud. Sayre states that he contacted the owner of the residence McCloud had stopped at.
McCloud was placed into custody without incident after a brief search of the area, the complaint states.