Police chase in Princeton leads to arrest

Jessica Nuzzo And Samantha Perry, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·1 min read

Mar. 6—PRINCETON — A late-night police chase Friday in Princeton ended with a "heavily intoxicated" man being jailed for multiple traffic violations, officials said.

The incident began around 10 p.m. when police tried to conduct a traffic stop on a silver Mustang on High Street, Officer W.W. McGuire, with the Princeton Police Department, said.

McGuire said the registration on the Mustang belonged to a Ford Expedition. When officers tried to stop the vehicle, the driver failed to yield.

"He engaged officers in a 25-minute vehicle chase in and out of the city limits of Princeton, up off Low Gap (Road), Thornton Avenue, Brickyard Road and back into the city and numerous side streets ...," McGuire said. "He was grossly exceeding the speed limit."

McGuire said officers were eventually able to get the driver "boxed in."

The chase ended in the Eighth Street area.

The driver did not have a weapon, McGuire said, but he did "resist heavily" when officers were taking him into custody.

"He wouldn't go into handcuffs," McGuire said. "He wouldn't comply with any orders."

Shortly after the arrest, McGuire said the driver was believed to be Robert Hairston of North Carolina.

"He is going to jail tonight for fleeing with reckless indifference, operating a vehicle without insurance, operating a vehicle without a driver's license, numerous traffic infractions and he's also heavily under the influence of alcohol," McGuire said.

The West Virginia State Police and Mercer County Sheriff's Office assisted with the incident.