A man wanted on multiple warrants out of Christian County was arrested Wednesday following a vehicle pursuit that began in Owensboro and ended near Hartford, according to the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a release, DCSO detectives with its Special Investigations Unit (SIU) received information on March 5 that 43-year-old DeMario Rodriquez Sanders, of Hopkinsville, had been seen in Daviess County driving a maroon Nissan Pathfinder.
SIU detectives observed the suspect vehicle traveling west on East Byers Avenue in Owensboro and contacted a marked DCSO patrol unit to initiate a traffic stop, authorities said. DCSO reported that Sanders initially pulled over on JR Miller Boulevard, but as deputies approached the vehicle on foot, he fled the scene at a high rate of speed.
A pursuit ensued, with Kentucky State Police troopers joining DCSO as the vehicle continued south toward Ohio County on U.S. 231, according to DCSO. The Ohio County Sheriff’s Office and Hartford Police Department were notified by Owensboro-Daviess County Central Dispatch, and DCSO said officers successfully deployed spike strips near Hartford to disable the vehicle’s tires.
Sanders eventually stopped on U.S. 231 near West Render Street and was taken into custody by law enforcement officers on the scene, DCSO reported.
Following the pursuit, an Ohio County Sheriff’s Office K9 alerted to the presence of illegal drugs inside the vehicle and detectives located a trafficking amount of crack cocaine and a large amount of U.S. currency, the release says
All evidence was seized and logged, and Sanders was transported to the Daviess County Detention Center.
DCSO said Sanders faces multiple new charges in Daviess County, including:
- Trafficking controlled substances (cocaine), first degree, second or greater offense
- Fleeing or evading police, first degree (motor vehicle)
- Wanton endangerment of a police officer (three counts)
- Speeding 26 mph or greater
- Operating a vehicle with an expired operator’s license
In addition to the new charges, DCSO reported that Sanders was wanted on numerous warrants out of Christian County, including an indictment warrant for three counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (cocaine).
According to DCSO, Sanders was also wanted on failure to appear warrants for charges including possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, multiple drug trafficking offenses involving heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, synthetic drugs, and marijuana — several of which were reportedly armed offenses — along with tampering with physical evidence, promoting contraband, fleeing or evading police on foot, resisting arrest, instructional permit violations, and various speeding and seat belt violations.
