By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Rincon man faces list of charges after chase
0924 chase crash
Officers used a PIT maneuver to force this car off the road after a chase. A foot chase ensued, and Lonnie Carter of Rincon was arrested, according to authorities. - photo by Photo by Pat Donahue

An Effingham County man was arrested on a long list of charges Saturday after crashing his car while fleeing from police.

Lonnie Devonta Carter, 26, of Rincon was taken into custody after leading officers on a chase in his car and then on foot, investigators said.

Carter was booked into the Chatham County Jail on charges including possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, possession with the intent to distribute, speeding, fleeing from police, reckless driving, obstruction, driving with a suspended license, no proof of insurance, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a weapon while committing a crime.

The pursuit began when a Port Wentworth police officer attempted to stop Carter’s car because his registration was suspended, according to Police Chief Matt Libby. Carter tried to get away, driving north on Highway 21.

“He just took off,” Libby said.

Carter lost control of his car when he turned onto Chimney Road at excessive speed, said Sgt. Chris Rodewalt, assistant commander of the Georgia State Patrol post in Rincon. The car went off the road and hit a fire hydrant.

“The violator did all that on his own,” Rodewalt said. “He was just driving too fast when he hit it.”

Carter’s car swerved back onto Chimney Road and a Port Wentworth police officer performed a PIT maneuver. He bumped his patrol car into Carter’s car, turning it sideways.

Carter then tried to run away, Rodewalt said. After a short foot chase, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Port Wentworth officers apprehended Carter at Highway 21 and McCall Road.

“Nothing he’s tried today was successful,” Rodewalt said Saturday evening.

Carter was armed when he got out of the car, according to Libby, and threw the gun as he fled. Officers recovered the Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun after apprehending him.

“He threw it as he was running,” Libby said. “We were lucky there wasn’t a shootout.”

Inside Carter’s car, investigators found more than a dozen crack cocaine rocks and marijuana packaged for distribution, Libby said.