A high-speed chase Saturday night led to a Martinsville man’s arrest on several drug charges.
Joshua Mercer, 38, was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine, a Level 3 felony; possession of marijuana and resisting law enforcement, both Level 6 felonies; and misdemeanor charges of possession of paraphernalia, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and operating without ever obtaining a license.
He was also on probation out of Marion County, according to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Just after 10 p.m., a sheriff’s deputy observed a vehicle illegally navigate the roundabout at Fairview and Morgantown roads, then run the stop sign at Bluff Road, according to the news release.
The deputy turned on his emergency lights to stop the vehicle, driven by Mercer, but he fled westbound on Fairview Road at high speeds. Mercer continued west past State Road 37 onto the dead-end portion of Fairview Road, which turned into a gravel lane and then a field, the news release said.
The chase ended in a creek bed. Both Mercer’s and the deputy’s vehicles sustained some water damage, according to the news release.
Deputies searched Mercer’s vehicle and found 470 grams of methamphetamine, 43 grams of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia. He appeared to be under the influence of narcotics, the news release said.
He was taken to the Johnson County jail where he is held on $42,800 bond.
