Man arrested on several charges after leading deputies on chase

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A man is facing several charges after leading New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a chase near the Northchase neighborhood on Friday.

Lt. Jerry Brewer says the sheriff’s office was assisting Wilmington Police with a DWI checkpoint at MLK Parkway and Kornegay Avenue when Christopher Taylor Craft, 40, was seen trying to avoid the checking station.

According to a press release on the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, deputies tried stopping Craft’s vehicle as it pulled off the road and onto an embankment before traveling the wrong way on an off-ramp. Deputies pursued the suspect several miles through several streets before being able to perform a PIT maneuver to stop him on Murrayville Road.

Craft faces 18 felony and misdemeanor charges, including assault on a government official or law enforcement officer, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding to elude arrest and reckless driving.

Craft is in the New Hanover County Detention Center under a $550,000 secured bond. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

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