A local man captured after a car chase, crash and manhunt was indicted on multiple charges Friday.
Michael Anthony Wright, Jr., 36, will go to trial in circuit court for four counts of possession of methamphetamine, evading arrest, intercepting radio frequencies, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of oxycodone, hydrocodone and marijuana.
Wright’s case was bound over to the grand jury Dec. 19, but his charges stem from a drug search from last May and a dramatic arrest July 25 involving multiple agencies.
Wright’s apartment and vehicles on Yeager Rd. were searched in May, discovering a bag with 10 packages containing approximately one ounce each of a crystal substance in the vehicle’s trunk, as well as paraphernalia and pills inside Wright’s bedroom. The discovery of that evidence led to a warrant being issued for Wright’s arrest.
Wright was captured July 25, when authorities received information about his possible whereabouts and mode of travel. The vehicle, a white Chevrolet Impala, was observed traveling on Hwy. 8 near Old Harrison Ferry Rd. by McCormick and Sheriff’s Department Investigator Justin Colwell, who initiated a traffic stop where McCormick identified Wright in the passenger seat of the vehicle, which was being driven by Leanne Renee Cantrell, 27.
After stopping the vehicle, the two officers approached the car with guns drawn, at which point Cantrell reportedly put the Impala in reverse in an attempt to flee. Colwell was able to remove Cantrell from the driver’s seat, however Wright allegedly put the Impala in drive, grabbed the steering wheel from the passenger seat and fled toward McMinnville.
The vehicle chase was short-lived, however, as Wright jumped the ditch and crashed at the Warren Co. EMS station at the corner of Hwy. 8 and Shellsford Rd., striking an on-duty employee’s vehicle and sending it careening down a grassy slope to a wooded area.
Wright then reportedly attempted to flee on foot, heading into a residential area behind the EMS station where he was later found hiding in a storage shed. While searching for the suspect, authorities also searched the vehicle, discovering police scanners and another large plastic bag containing a white crystal substance.
Cantrell was also indicted during Friday’s grand jury session, and will face two counts of possession of methamphetamine as well as charges of being an accessory after the fact and driving on a suspended license.
