crime
Hallettsville Polce Department
Hallettsville

Wednesday car chase leads to drug arrest

  • A car pursuit that started in Schulenburg last Wednesday morning ended when it collided with a fire hydrant on Hallettsville's south side at the intersection of Main and Jerry streets, later that afternoon.
    A car pursuit that started in Schulenburg last Wednesday morning ended when it collided with a fire hydrant on Hallettsville's south side at the intersection of Main and Jerry streets, later that afternoon.
  • The black 2022 Porsche SUV was driven by Lamar Martin, 34, of Hallettsville. Martin was taken into custody for evading arrest and in possession of a controlled substance. Photos from HPD Facebook page
    The black 2022 Porsche SUV was driven by Lamar Martin, 34, of Hallettsville. Martin was taken into custody for evading arrest and in possession of a controlled substance. Photos from HPD Facebook page

    By JIMMY APPELT

    Staff Writer

    A car chase that began near Schulenburg on Wednesday morning, Sept. 13, came to an end later that afternoon when the vehicle wrecked at the corner of Jerry and Main streets in Hallettsville.

    According to a press release from Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek, the chase began at approximately 11:18 a.m. Wednesday when Interdiction Sgt. Randy Thumann attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Interstate 10 near the 677-mile marker.

    Korenek reported Thumann conducted the traffic infraction stop on a 2022 Porsche SUV that was traveling west.

    Thumann made contact with the driver, who then sped away from the scene of the traffic stop.

    The officer gave chase, which continued onto several roads in Fayette County and into the city limits of Schulenburg.

    Schulenburg PD Officer Byron Powe joined the pursuit, which headed south on FM 957, into Lavaca County and ultimately into the city limits of Hallettsville.

    Korenek said as the vehicle traveled through the Breslau community, Lavaca County Chief Sheriff's Deputy J.R. Peters successfully deployed disabling spikes.

    The Porsche continued into the city limits of Hallettsville traveling down Main Street before colliding into a fire hydrant near the intersection of Jerry and Main streets on Hallettsville's south side.

    Korenek said the driver fled from the vehicle, but after a brief foot pursuit he was taken into custody by Sgt. Thumann.

    Sheriff Korenek reported that approximately 11 kilos, or just over 24 pounds, of methamphetamines were located in Schulenburg, which had been tossed by the driver during the pursuit.

    Officers also seized $3,018 in cash found inside the wrecked car and on the driver.

    Arrested on the charges of controlled substance possession and evading arrest was Lamar Dareon Martin, 34, of Hallettsville. He was booked into the Lavaca County Jail but had posted bail by the time this story published.

    "I would like to thank the Schulenburg Police Department, the Lavaca County Sheriff ’s Office, and the Hallettsville Police Department for their assistance in apprehending the suspect,” Korenek said.

    “I would also like the public to know that these narcotics were headed straight in and through our local communities and small counties to likely be distributed. We, FCSO, will continue to work tirelessly to keep these narcotics off of our local streets and out of the hands of our children," he added.