GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A 3-year-old is safe after being a passenger in a harrowing high-speed police chase in Gaston County early Saturday morning.
Officials told Channel 9 that around 9:45 a.m., 39-year-old Timothy French allegedly stole a pickup truck that was parked at Will’s Food Mart on Gastonia Highway in Lincoln County and took off.
Authorities were told that a 3-year-old child was inside the truck when it was stolen and a short time later police in Gaston County spotted the vehicle and tried to pull it over.
French refused to stop though, according to officials, and began leading police on a dangerous chase.
Officers said the pursuit reached speeds of 110 mph on U.S. 321 and sometimes involved the suspect driving in oncoming lanes of traffic.
The chase ended around 10:30 a.m. when the driver apparently stopped the car and tried to run away near the T. Jeffers Center off Myrtle School Road, leaving the child behind.
French was quickly taken into custody.
He has been charged with one felony count of larceny of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen goods, and abduction of a child. He is also charged with one misdemeanor count of Child Abuse.
French is being held under a $60,000 secured bond.
The 3-year-old was not hurt and officers were able to reunite the child with relatives.
Channel 9’s news partners at the Gaston Gazette contributed to this article.
Cox Media Group
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