Man arrested after stolen truck chase ends with K-9 search in Jones County

Deputies say the stolen truck was tracked through OnStar before the chase ended.

JONES COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Deputies arrested a 47-year-old man Friday after a chase involving a stolen truck ended with a K-9 search.

According to a Jones County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post on Tuesday, a deputy responded on January 2 to the Gray Bypass after a black GMC truck reported stolen out of Eatonton was tracked through OnStar. OnStar told dispatch it could remotely disable the vehicle if needed, according to the post.

A deputy spotted the truck near Gray Highway and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver refused to stop and fled northbound on Gray Highway at speeds reaching up to 95 mph. During the pursuit, OnStar remotely disabled the truck, causing it to slow to under 40 mph, the sheriff’s office said.

According to the sheriff’s office, the driver turned onto Braswell Lake Road, pulled into a driveway and then ran. Jones County K-9 units responded and located the suspect.

The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as 47-year-old Vantavious Merritt. He’s charged with driving while unlicensed, fleeing and attempting to elude and obstruction.

Deputies say they recovered the stolen vehicle and turned it over to the Eatonton Police Department.