A Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy on other duties ended up involved in a high speed chase that initially saw a suspect get away driving dangerously through congested areas of Cedartown, but eventually was tracked down thanks to the FLOCK Camera system setup at spots around the area.

The deputy responding to a call on Pine Pitch Road initially spotted a black Mazda that was reported to be suspicious at the time, but lost it and returned back to their original request for service.

Following that call, the deputy happened to spot the Mazda at a gas station at the intersection of Lindsey Chapel Road and Highway 278 West. The driver attempted to hide at first, then after being positively spotted was able to get around the deputy’s vehicle and speed off.

The driver headed west and into Cedartown, hitting speeds over 80 mph on East Avenue and exceeding that when driving through town. Eventually the deputy called off the chase due to the congestion on College Street around the bridge replacement detour.

Deputies met up with Cedartown Police who spotted the vehicle on several FLOCK cameras around town, and even caught additional driving violations on video. They were able to also identify the vehicle by the license plate and the driver behind the wheel: Andrew Steven Raper, 29, of a Cedartown-area address.

When they caught up with Raper at home, they found the vehicle still warm to the touch and the license plate removed. Raper was taken into custody after he admitted to what he had done, according to Sheriff’s Office reports.

Raper was booked into the Polk County Jail and remained there awaiting bond to be set on multiple charges. Those included misdemeanors for two counts of reckless driving, four counts of speeding in excess of maximum limits, two counts of failure to obey traffic devices of police, driving too fast for conditions, driving while license suspended or revoked, passing on hill or curve, improper left or right turn and driving on central turn lane.