A Knoxville man was charged with DUI, Stolen Property, and Evading Arrest on the Baileyton Highway around 8:30 Saturday night.
According to the police report, the dark green Mitsubishi Mirage ran the stop sign at Sevier Avenue and Tusculum Boulevard, managing to stop the car before striking the officer’s cruiser.
Once the vehicle passed, the officer reported the driver was not wearing a seatbelt, and the car did not have any tail lights. The officer attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled in the vehicle. As the driver got back onto Tusculum Blvd, he reportedly crossed the double yellow line and was driving in the incoming lane of traffic. According to the car’s tag, the vehicle had previously been reported as stolen.
During the pursuit, the vehicle continued to cross the double yellow line numerous times. The pursuit ended in a yard in the 2300 block of Baileyton Highway, where officers made contact with the driver, Donnie Johnson of Knoxville. A check showed Johnson to be a habitual revoked license offender.
Johnson was placed under arrest and taken to the jail where he performed poorly on Standardized Field Sobriety tasks. Johnson consented to a blood draw and allegedly informed officers that his blood would show methamphetamine because he had used earlier.
Johnson was charged with Receiving or Concealing Stolen Property, Driving Under the Influence, Evading Arrest, as well as several motor vehicle violations.
