This story will be updated as we receive more information.
(Update – 9:38 a.m.): The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has issued a press release regarding the situation:
“The Lee County Sheriff Office deputies were called to 97 Deep River Road to investigate suspicious people in a red vehicle. The responding deputy located a red Kia Soul in the parking area and activated his blue lights and attempted to approach the vehicle. At that point the operator of the red vehicle backed into the direction of the deputy attempting to run the deputy over. At that point the deputy fired his duty weapon into the vehicle and at which time the driver of the red vehicle fled the scene. The deputy on scene gave chase which ended in the city limits of Sanford. During the chase the deputy struck a median on Steele Street resulting in a crash into a retail establishment on Steele Street. The driver of the vehicle abandoned the vehicle at 319 Steele St. and fled on foot.
The driver of the vehicle was located under a house with the assistance of Sanford Police Department and a K9 unit from Harnett County Sheriff’s Office. Cory Dexter Fennell, 37, 1073 Austin Drive, Fayetteville, was arrested and charged with first degree attempted murder and felony/elude arrest in a motor vehicle. He was held under $350,000 secured bond. (Fennell was not injured in this incident)”
(Update – 8:48 a.m.): The Rant has received confirmation that Fennell is the suspect arrested after the chase. He is reportedly accused of attempting to ram Sgt. Oldham, the deputy who was hospitalized, with his vehicle.
ORIGINAL STORY: WRAL is reporting that a Lee County sheriff’s deputy was hospitalized after crashing into a downtown business while chasing a suspect early Monday morning.
Multiple sources have told the Rant that the deputy is Sgt. Jeff Oldham. Oldham is reported to have attempted to stop a vehicle – a Red Kia Soul, according to WRAL’s report – in the Deep River area when the driver fled.
Oldham chased the car into downtown Sanford, where he crashed into the front of 128 S. Steele St., the location of the old Hi-Lites store. The building had been sold earlier this month to a couple with plans to place a boutique store there.
Authorities have not provided any information about the incident or Oldham’s condition as of 7:28 a.m. Meanwhile, WRAL reports that authorities arrested a suspect about a half a mile away from the scene of the crash.
Again, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t formally provided any details about the situation as of Monday morning, but a search of the department’s jail website shows a Fayetteville man, 37-year-old Cory Fennell, having been arrested and booked early Monday morning on charges of fleeing to elude arrest, attempted murder, and a probation violation from Cumberland County. The Rant has not been able to confirm that Fennell’s charges are related to the downtown crash, but he is in custody under a $350,000 bond.
See video and photos below:
This is why multiple states made high speed chases illegal for LEOs to do period. Absolutely pointless
Hindsight remark…………..do you just want to let him go? That red “Soul” passed me by inches at about 100 last night on Hwy 1 with the “blues” right on his bumper. I counted 6 “blues” trying to corner him. Absolutely wild. He was up to no good and probably looking for a mark down in Deep River
(B&E) and you assume something like that when you get a solid suspicious vehicle report. Roaming a neighborhood at 1 in the morning?
He tried to head-on an officer on downtown city streets! Why don’t you do some LEO work for a week Philly. We don’t allow behavior like that around here.
Hope Jeff comes out of this OK.
I think you’ve taken a little bit of information and twisted it around. As best I know, there have been a couple situations in which state police agencies have suspended – not banned – high speed chases when the target of the chase is suspected only of a traffic violation or misdemeanor.
If I’ve got that wrong, please show me.
The idea that police should be forbidden from chasing a fleeing felon is kind of scary. Basically, once a criminal got to their car, they’d be pretty much home free. Despite the dangers associated with high speed chases, that doesn’t sound like a good policy.
Now we find out he tried to back over the responding deputy down in DeepRiver. A felony assault on an officer had already been committed.
They need to fix those medians downtown, they stick too far out. Prayers for the officer and family.
Prayers for Jeff🙏🙏🙏🙏
Any updates of Jeff? I don’t get the Herald anymore so this is place is my best local news feed.