A Tippo community man allegedly led Charleston police on a high-speed chase through the countryside and shot at them multiple times during their pursuit.
Henry Drain, 36, of 408 Pamplin Road, is charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and felony fleeing, Charleston Police Chief Justin Gammage said Tuesday.
Drain is being held without bond at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, he added.
The chief said no bond has been set because Drain has a hold on him from the Mississippi Department of Corrections, from whose custody he was paroled just April 15. Gammage said Drain had been serving a two-and-a-half year sentence on a Sept. 19, 2018, conviction for felony fleeing in Tallahatchie County.
The latest incident began at about 10:15 on the night of July 4, when Charleston police attempted to stop a gray GMC pickup on West Main Street for a traffic violation of having no tag, Gammage noted.
He said the driver of the vehicle, whose identity was not yet known, failed to comply and instead led police through several residential neighborhoods before turning onto Clay Street and continuing southward out of the city on Highway 35.
The chase, which involved two Charleston police officers in separate patrol cars, reached speeds of more than 80 mph, Gammage noted.
“Once they made it to Fairview Road, the officers stated that whoever was driving was shooting at them,” the chief said.
At the end of Fairview Road, the truck driver reportedly opened fire again, Gammage stated. This time, he said, the lead officer in the pursuit returned the gunfire.
“I’m not sure how many shots were fired by the two parties,” said Gammage, noting that no one was injured and no bullet holes could be found in any of the vehicles.
During the exchange of gunfire, “Mr. Drain was able to elude officers,” the chief said, but not for very long.
As a parolee under house arrest, according to Gammage, Drain was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet.
“He was subsequently tracked by his GPS monitoring,” the chief noted.
Drain’s signal was tracked to his own residence on Pamplin Road, where police officers were joined by a Tallahatchie County sheriff’s deputy, Gammage said.
When lawmen arrived, the chief said Drain came “walking up the driveway toward the officers and was taken into custody by the deputy without further incident.”
He noted that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is probing the incident.
Gammage said Drain faces a July 22 preliminary hearing in Charleston Municipal Court.
The chief said a minor traffic violation normally would not warrant a pursuit, but in this situation it did.
“During the 4th of July, a lot of people were out drinking. With the way the subject was driving, they thought he might be under the influence of alcohol. So they continued the pursuit,” Gammage said. “I think the officers handled the situation as well as they could with the resources we have in Charleston.”
In other news:
Gammage said police are asking for the public’s help finding a car involved in a July 7 hit-and-run in Charleston.
The chief noted that off-duty city police officer Joshua Griffin suffered minor injuries in the 1:30 a.m. incident when a small white sedan turned into the path of his westbound motorcycle at the intersection of East Main and King Drive. Griffin’s
Griffin’s bike crashed into the car. Griffin was transported by private vehicle to Tallahatchie General Hospital, where he was treated and released, the chief noted.
Gammage said anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact the Charleston Police Department at 647-5841.
IN THE PHOTO: Henry Drain
