ClarksvilleNow.com Reporting
news@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – MCSO Investigator Geoff Blanchard was motivated by the need to keep Montgomery County citizens safe at the time that he was shot at during a high speed vehicle pursuit on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 19.
Blanchard described his experience at the time, saying that when he looked into the eyes of suspect Jacob Ray Hammond, it was “something that you get when you’re in law enforcement for a little while. You know when somebody looks at you a certain way that your red flags go up.”
Investigator Blanchard was responding to a meth complaint in the area near Jim Ledford Rd. when he noticed a small, flat black, older model, 4 door Toyota pickup run a stop sign immediately in front of him at an intersection on St. Paul Rd. He attempted to stop the vehicle and investigate, but the two suspects inside the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed toward Indian Mound Rd.
Blanchard turned the lights and sirens on in his unmarked car, and was attempting to get the license plate number of the truck when a semi-automatic pistol fired shots from the window in the direction of his vehicle. Blanchard then drew on his experience in pursuing suspects, saying, “Unfortunately I have been in these situations before, and was a little bit more alert, so when the gun came out of the window I saw it. I even saw that when he fired the gun, some rounds impacted on the grass and some impacted on the road. At that point I tried to become the best witness that I could, and retain as much information as I could, so that we could capture them at a later date.”
After chasing the suspects for about a mile, a tire went flat on Blanchard’s vehicle for an unknown reason, keeping him from continuing the chase. He requested backup, and the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office, the Dover Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the United States Marshal Service assisted MCSO in the search for the black truck.
Blanchard said that he noted the unusual color of the pickup, only to find out later that it had been stolen out of Stewart County and spray painted black a few days before.
The stolen vehicle was later located at Gillum Hollow Rd. in Stewart County at a rural property located in the woods, not far from where Blanchard’s vehicle lost the tire.
“There is always a high risk associated with crimes involving drugs,” Sheriff John Fuson said. “It’s not just a danger to the officers; it’s a danger to the public in general.”
According to MCSO, warrants have been issued for Hammond for attempted criminal homicide, felony evading, and theft of property with a bond of $600,000. Hammond may be traveling with Amber Nicole Lehman, 29. Both Hammond and Lehman have outstanding criminal warrants.
The suspects have not been apprehended.
Hammond and Lehman are considered armed and dangerous; do not attempt to make contact but call 911. If anyone has any information about this incident, please call the Montgomery County Sheriff Criminal Investigation Division at 931-648-0611 ext. 13404 or Crime Stoppers at 931-645-8477.