Amite man arrested after high-speed chase
Published 11:11 am Thursday, April 19, 2018
An Amite man was arrested Monday after leaving law enforcement officials on a chase from Slidell into Washington Parish, according to Chief Deputy Mike Haley of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Haley said that the WPSO joined the Bogalusa Police Department, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Sun Police Department and Angie Police Department in pursuing a truck which had been stolen in Slidell on Monday.
Haley said that the pursuit exited St. Tammany Parish headed north on Louisiana Highway 21. With officers in pursuit, the driver went through Bogalusa and then to Varnado, at which time the driver turned around and headed back in the direction of Bogalusa, Haley said.
The vehicle was eventually stopped on Highway 21, just inside the Bogalusa city limits.
The vehicle, a Dodge Mega Cab truck, was being driven at speeds in excess of 90 mph, even though two tires were flat and one was completely off the rim, Haley said. The driver, Harold J. Allen, 36, of Amite, was arrested and transported to the Washington Parish Jail. He remains in jail with his bond set at $50,000.
Allen is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a vehicle on an office, aggravated flight from an officer, five counts of criminal damage to property, driving under suspension, aggravated obstruction of a roadway and being a fugitive from another parish.
“This was an extremely dangerous situation for law enforcement and civilians,” Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “Allen was a menace to everyone on the roads in both parishes and I am so pleased with the efforts of all officers involved to capture him without injuries to any person.
“When pursuing him, the officers had no idea who was behind the wheel, whether it was a thief, an escapee, or someone wanted for a heinous crime in another jurisdiction. I’m grateful all turned out OK and the bad guy is in jail where he belongs.”