Pine Belt, Miss. (WDAM) – A traffic stop led to a high-speed chase through three Pine Belt counties Wednesday night.
Narcotics agents with the Jones County Sheriff’s Department stopped a pickup truck at the Muck Convenience Store on US 11 South in Eastabuchy.
JCSD said the driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Adrian Speights of Prentiss, was asked to exit the vehicle due to a strong odor of marijuana coming from the truck.
According to JCSD, Speights opened his driver’s door and Agent Chase Smith leaned into the truck to pull Speights out of the vehicle. Speights then moved forward and dragged Smith 30 feet to 40 feet before Speights pushed Smith out of the pickup.
JCSD said Smith was injured, and Agent Dalton Ainsworth remained at the scene to help him while the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office and AAA Ambulance Service responded.
Smith was treated at South Central Regional Medical Center for cuts, scrapes and bruises. He was later released and returned to service.
JCSD said Lt. Jake Driskell and Sgt. Joel Brogan followed the truck from Warren Mott Parkway to Interstate 59 south.
Speights took the Evelyn Gandy Parkway back north to I-59, and then went south again, crossing the center line on I-59.
Speights then turned onto US49 in Hattiesburg and headed north toward Collins.
By the time the pursuit reached Collins, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, Covington County Sheriff’s Office and the Collins Police Department were all involved.
JCSD said Speights jumped the median on US 49 in Collins, heading north into the southbound lanes and nearly caused multiple head-on collisions.
According to JCSD, Driskell and Brogan used their department’s pickup to drive Speights off the road and down an embankment to end the pursuit. Both the fleeing pickup and the JCSD pickup were damaged.
Speights was taken into custody by JCSD and transported to the Jones County Adult Detention Facility.
Driskell and Brogan suffered minor injuries in the incident, but remained in service and did not require medical transport.
When officers searched Speights’ person, they found a firearm, 46 grams of methamphetamine, 3.5 grams of crack cocaine and 1.8 grams of powder cocaine.
Spitz is a convicted felon and told JCSD narcotics agents that he ran away because he did not want to go back to prison.
Spitz faces the following charges:
- aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer
- the criminal is on the run
- the criminal has a gun
- Trafficking in methamphetamine while in possession of a firearm
- Possession of a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm.
Speights is scheduled to make his first appearance in Jones County Justice Court Friday at 1 p.m.
Want more WDAM 7 news delivered to your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Copyright 2026 WDAM. All rights reserved.
<a href=