Tuesday afternoon, Cumberland County deputies observed 23-year-old Jeffrey Austin Hymes of Sparta driving his truck at excessive speeds along Glade Creek Road, nearly striking another vehicle pulling out onto the roadway from a side street. Hymes refused to stop when the deputy attempted to initiate at traffic stop. He sped up to approximately 75 mph, ran off the road, regained control and continued along Glade Creek Road, driving on the wrong side of the road. Veering off the road, the driver attempted to proceed uphill, continuing to evade authorities. Hymes put the truck in reverse, passed the patrol unit and shifted back into drive, turning left into a wooded area. Hymes’ truck went down an embankment and he fled on foot.

A backup unit arrived to secure the scene. Deputies found a sawed-off shotgun in plain view in the passenger’s seat.

Deputies later made contact with Hymes, who said after wrecking his truck, he walked down to his mother’s home to tell her “I love you” before returning to the scene.

Hymes’ mother confirmed her son arrived at the home, spoke to her through the open bathroom window, told her he left his truck at the end of the driveway, and he loved her, and then walked back down the driveway.

A further search of the vehicle turned up slightly over half a gram of meth.

Hymes was taken into custody and charged with felony manufacture, sale, delivery or possession of meth, felony evading arrest, felony possession of a prohibited weapon and felony reckless endangerment. He was placed under $33,0000 bond and is due in court April 22.