Washington Parish Chief Deputy Mike Haley said that deputies arrested a Bogalusa man on drug-related charges earlier this week, after the suspect ran away on foot before being apprehended.

Haley said that Brandon D. Short, 30, of Redmond Heights, was arrested Wednesday evening by a WPSO patrol deputy. The deputy stopped a Ford F-150 truck containing two males for a traffic offense in north Bogalusa near City Limits Road, Haley said.

After the driver produced valid identification, vehicle registration and proof of insurance, the passenger reportedly stated he had no identification on his person and stated that his name was “Brad D. Sharp” and provided a date of birth. The deputy ran a records check but was unable to locate that name and date of birth in the records database, Haley said. At that point, the passenger, later identified as Short, was asked to exit the vehicle.

Haley said that when Short stepped out of the truck, he immediately ran away with the deputy in foot pursuit. The fleeing man ran down several streets, through the yard of a residence and then into woods with the deputy still running behind him. While running through the woods in the dark, both Short and the deputy became entangled in thick vegetation.

Haley said that as Short was freeing himself from the vegetation and attempting to get away, the deputy discharged his taser, striking Short on his lower right side. Short then reportedly attempted to crawl away but the deputy was able to free himself from the vegetation and take him into custody.

He was handcuffed, escorted out of the woods and searched. During the search, a digital scale and $1,504 cash was discovered in pockets of the cargo pants he was wearing. He was then placed in the rear seat of another WPSO vehicle, which had responded to the scene.

While in the WPSO vehicle, Short stated that he was having difficulty breathing due to swallowing a bag of marijuana, Haley said. Short was transported to the hospital, where he was treated by emergency room personnel. Haley said that while at the hospital, Short admitted also to swallowing ecstasy and Percocet.

While Short was being treated by medical personnel, the patrol deputy was able to properly identify him. The WPSO Drug Task Force was notified of the arrest. They went to the hospital and took custody of the seized items, which were placed into evidence.

After being discharged from the emergency room, Short was booked into the Washington Parish Jail on Thursday morning, charged with possession with intent to distribute Schedule I drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, obstruction of justice, resisting an officer and resisting an officer by flight. Bond was set at $13,750. Later that day, Short was released after posting his bond.

“It is always dangerous when a deputy has to stop a vehicle at night,” Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “The deputy has no idea who is in the vehicle, what their intent might be or whether or not there are any weapons present. This night-time stop became even more dangerous for our deputy when the suspect fled on foot and the deputy chased him through dark woods.

“Thankfully, no one was injured and the bad guy was taken into custody. This is yet another example of the great job our deputies do to protect us, even while we are at home sleeping.”