Man faces kidnapping, drug charges after high-speed chase in Habersham County
(Habersham County Sheriff's Office)
HABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga. - A Baldwin man is behind bars facing a long list of severe felony charges—including kidnapping and false imprisonment under the Family Violence Act—after leading law enforcement on a multi-city chase through Habersham County on Thursday evening.
What we know:
The incident began shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, when a Habersham County Sheriff's deputy attempted to perform a traffic stop on a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck along Central Avenue in Demorest due to an observed traffic violation.
The driver initially complied by turning into a Piedmont University parking lot located along Central Avenue, directly across from the main campus. However, instead of stopping, the driver accelerated out of the lot and fled, initiating a high-speed pursuit with deputies and local law enforcement officers.
The pursuit continued south along Central Avenue / Historic Highway 441 before turning onto Georgia 365 and merging onto the 441 Bypass in Cornelia.
Deputies ultimately executed a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver, bringing the pickup truck to a controlled stop near the Baldwin Road Connector and the Georgia Power Co. facility.
Authorities confirmed that no injuries occurred during the chase or the crash termination. The Georgia State Patrol responded to the scene to investigate the collision.
The southbound lanes of the 441 Bypass were temporarily closed to traffic while law enforcement cleared the scene, fully reopening by 8:54 p.m.
Rodriguez was taken into custody at the scene without further incident.
Rodriguez was booked on a wide array of felony and misdemeanor counts, including, kidnapping false imprisonment under the Family Violence Act, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of certain crimes, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, interference with government property, misdemeanor DUI & reckless driving.
The Source: Information for this story was sent through a new release by the Habersham County Sheriff's Office.