The Hyde County Sheriff department on Ocracoke has had mostly an uneventful winter except for a high-speed chase Dec. 28.
While the local person was charged with felony speeding to elude arrest, DWI, careless and reckless driving, this case is still being adjudicated. Captain Jason Daniels could not talk about specifics, though he did talk about the dangers of eluding arrest.
It’s rare when one hears a siren of any kind on Ocracoke, but folks all over the island heard the chirp of a siren that day.
Daniels said the person who was stopped then decided to take off and ended up going well above the speed limit down Lighthouse and Loop Roads before he was apprehended.
Daniels could not emphasize enough the dangers of high-speed driving in Ocracoke village where the village-wide speed limit is 20 mph, 15 mph around Ocracoke School on Back Road.
Deputies have to decide when to back off during chases and when to use their sirens, which are primarily to alert others, he said.
“I’m so thankful nobody got hurt,” Daniels said about the incident. “He put everybody at risk.”
Daniels could not give infraction numbers from Jan. 1 to Feb. 15 because the reports are in the process of being computerized, but the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department reported the following for that period: Two medevacs and 18 medical responders.
