Man leads police on chase

By Staff
A chase by the Decatur Police ended with a suspect being arrested near the Somerville Post Office.
Decatur Police were on a service call on Grant Street SE Sept. 25 when a man in a Chevrolet Cobalt drove past them with loud music playing. Officer Josh Wooten noticed the car and recognized it as one that had been reported stolen from Lynn Layton Chevrolet the day before.
The officer tried to stop the car in Decatur but the driver refused to stop, leading offiers on a 45-minute chase through Decatur, Interstate 65 and Morgan County with speeds exceeding 120 miles per hour.
The chase ended near the Somerville Police Office when the left rear tire came off the suspect’s vehicle. He was identified as Michael Lacy Peterson, 32, of Athens. He was later charged with reckless endangerment, attempting to flee, resisting arrest, driving with a revoked license and violation of a sound control ordinance. A felony investigation is being conducted into the vehicle theft and additional charges are expected.