Local

Teen arrested after chase says he didn't commit crimes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte teen, accused of serious charges, is home after three days behind bars. Milton Dunlap is accused of leading police on a dangerous chase, but he said he's innocent and that it's a case of mistaken identity.

Dunlap is 18 years old. He's never been in trouble before. He left jail holding the hands of his girlfriend and his mother. The rattled teen looked young, thin in a jail jumpsuit that he says he never imagined wearing.

"This is embarrassing to my family, especially to my girlfriend, especially to her family, especially to everything I did in my life," Dunlap said.

Dunlap swears he's innocent, and his family showed Eyewitness News evidence they'll try to use to prove it.

Here's a timeline of how all this happened Tuesday: A group of men broke into a home on Siegel Avenue at 11:14, then another on Snow Bird Lane at 12:30, and another 12 minutes later on Filbert Lane. But Dunlap's mother showed Eyewitness News a time stamped Instagram photo. She says it shows her son, posting a picture of himself from his bedroom, at 11:48, making a video game reference.

Police spotted the accused burglars in south Charlotte Tuesday afternoon. Chopper 9 showed the chase that followed right into Dunlap's neighborhood where five men were arrested, including Dunlap who says he was only a witness.

"Mistakes happen," Dunlap's mother Kim Richardson said. "If you look at the photos of those boys, they all look similar to my son. Mistakes happen but listen to the truth, listen to the evidence."

But state troopers say Dunlap was arrested after they saw him jump out of the suspect car. A CMPD officer also backs up that story saying he saw Dunlap run into a house.

"I want an apology from every single one, from the person who put me on the ground to the one that had the dog in their hand to the one that pointed me out," Dunlap said.

Dunlap is facing charges of felony breaking and entering, assault on a government official and larceny.

He is due back in court on Oct.15.