A Cornelia woman remained in the Polk County Jail on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after she was booked Tuesday following a stint in the hospital on an overdose that occurred at the end of a January vehicle chase.
Per jail records, Teresa Marie Bruce, 35, of a Cornelia, Georgia, address, was taken into custody Tuesday, February 1, and remains behind bars without bond set following the January 21 incident and subsequent hospitalization.
Polk County Police reported that last month, two officers were out on patrol together when they spotted Bruce driving a white 1997 Dodge Stratus down Piedmont Avenue in Rockmart, which they had seen not long before parked at an Old Cartersville Road residence that police suspect is being used to sell narcotics out of, so they turned around and got behind the car to investigate.
Once they did so, the driver later identified as Bruce sped up and a chase ensued. Police followed her down Piedmont Avenue and watched as she jumped the tracks, then turned sharply onto College Street and in the process noted she broke several traffic laws, and continued onto Old Cartersville Road until the chase reached a broken down vehicle in front of the residence where they had spotted Bruce earlier.
The man was seeking help and was out of gas, and Bruce was reported to have come within inches of hitting the driver who had to jump out of the way.
As the chase continued down Old Cartersville Road, Bruce jumped another set of railroad tracks and continued onward onto Braswell Mountain Road, then went down the wrong side of the roadway on Braswell Road and finally turned into a gated driveway and stopped.
Police saw Bruce had a knife when they rushed toward the car, and ordered her to drop it and get out of the car. She appeared to be stuck in the seat belt, and then police realized she might be having a seizure.
When they got to the car and secured what was later identified as a switchblade, police found Bruce with a suspected bag of heroin and what appeared to be brown residue around her mouth. A quick assessment of the situation led police to give Bruce a dose of Narcan and undertake emergency medical case until Redmond EMS arrived on the scene and took over.
Police reported that after she was rushed to Redmond Regional Medical Center, they conducted a search of the car and found additional drug paraphernalia and suspected methamphetamine as well.
Officers took the knife, drugs and other items into evidence, and Rockmart Police caught up with the driver of the broken down car on Old Cartersville Road.
He told police he had run out of gas and was just inches away from being run over by Bruce and had to jump out of the way when the chase passed him by, and he wanted to prosecute her for aggravated assault.
Warrants on charges for the chase were finally fulfilled on Tuesday when Bruce was booked.
Those charges include felonies for possession of methamphetamine, possession of heroin, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, fleeing or attempting to elude police, possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, and obstructing law enforcement officers. Misdemeanor charges include failure to use signal, failure to maintain lane, driving on the wrong side of the roadway, passing on the shoulder of the roadway, failure to yield after stopping at stop sign, DUI – less safe – drugs, theft by receiving and driving while license suspended or revoked.
