High-speed chase ends with crash

A high-speed police chase through two counties ended abruptly Friday when the vehicle being pursued overturned in a Bedford County field.

Jason Hargrove of Lewisburg lost control of the SUV he was driving on Russell Road, a narrow, dead-end road off Bethlehem Church Road in western Bedford County, after a chase of approximately 10 miles.

The SUV flipped as it ran into a ditch and into a cattle field, landing on its top.

Both occupants attempted to flee on foot but quickly surrendered to officers without resistance, Deputy Benjamin Burris of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department said.

The driver was identified as Hargrove and the passenger as David Allen Mencer by Capt. Norman Dalton of the Marshall County Sheriff's Department. Both suspects are from Lewisburg and in their mid-20s, Dalton said, although he was unsure of their exact ages.

The chase began about 12:45 p.m. in Lewisburg.

"Both were wanted by the city of Lewisburg, one had an outstanding warrant," Detective Scott Braden of the Lewisburg Police Department said. "Some Marshall County Sheriff's Department officers tried to stop [the driver] and they fled."

Braden said he was unsure of the exact charges. Bedford County deputies were notified as the pursuit continued on Finley Beech Road in Marshall County, which becomes Gant Road in Bedford County.

Burris took the lead in the chase after the pursuit crossed the county line.

"I got behind him at Bethlehem Church Road at Gant Road," Burris said. "They got up to maybe 70 to 80 mph."

Hargrove lost control of the older model, full-size Chevrolet Blazer, Burris said, after making several sharp turns and crossing several cattle gates on the one-lane, roughly paved road.

Both suspects were able to escape the vehicle, but not the pursuing officers, Burris said.

"They got out and ran," Burris said. "I chased the driver and got him. Reserve Deputy Shawn Crawford chased the other one. They ran about 50 feet. Neither put up any resistance."

Hargrove was checked at Bedford County Medical Center, officers said, while Mencer was placed in a Marshall County patrol car and returned to Lewisburg.