A man attempting to avoid arrest for violation of probation tried to elude law enforcement officers by speeding away on a motorcycle and hiding behind a barn.

It didn’t work as Bryan Taylor Jennings, 20, was taken into custody Wednesday. He had taken cover behind a barn on Leesburg Road a short distance from an abandoned motorcycle that he used in an attempt to avoid Warren County Sheriff’s Department deputies and a McMinnville Police Department officer.

According to the report, deputy Chris McCormick was attempting to serve a warrant on Jennings at a residence on McReynolds Road. While at the residence, Jennings was observed driving by on a blue and white Yamaha motorcycle.

“I had prior knowledge of the male on the motorcycle to be Bryan Jennings due to a pursuit days earlier, and family members at the residence stating that he had just left on the motorcycle,” said McCormick. “I then activated my emergency lights and siren in an attempt to stop the motorcycle. The motorcycle then accelerated rapidly and turned right onto Highway 8.”

The deputy made the decision to discontinue the pursuit after witnessing Jennings cross all lanes of travel, forcing two vehicles to make drastic maneuvers to prevent collision.

Jennings turned onto Pine Avenue and then onto Orchard Lane, before entering a private yard and into the woods. 

McMinnville Police officer Bobby Anderson made contact with Jennings on the motorcycle on Leesburg Road before the motorcycle left the roadway and went into the wooded area. Deputy Evan Cooper also made contact at that time. McCormick joined the foot search for Jennings, who was found a short distance from the motorcycle hiding behind a barn and was taken into custody.

The warrant Jennings attempted to avoid was for a violation of probation. He was convicted last year for attempting to steal a wrecked motorcycle in March by towing it from the scene of an accident after its owner was transported to Saint Thomas River Park Hospital for treatment. The punishment was 120 days of a six-year sentence. 

For Wednesday’s run from law enforcement, Jennings was charged with evading arrest and reckless endangerment. He was also served with the warrant for violation of probation.