GASTONIA, N.C.,None — Troopers said a 22-year-old man led them on a high-speed chase Wednesday night.
Jeffery Mosteller was driving nearly 100 mph during the chase, troopers said, before it ended in northwest Charlotte around midnight.
Mosteller said little during his first court appearance, via video, Thursday.
His mother was in court to see her son, but was unwilling to defend her son's actions.
"He went and got drunk and he did some stupid things," Tina Mosteller said.
According to arrest reports, the 22-year-old was legally drunk at the time of the chase.
Mosteller reportedly drove up to a checkpoint at Gastonia on Bessemer City Road but didn't stop. Instead, troopers said he tried to ram his car into the police cruiser.
The officer moved his car just in time, and Mosteller kept driving. He reportedly led Gastonia police and Highway Patrol trooper down Interstate 85, reaching speeds of 96 mph.
"Those types of drivers are exactly why we have license checkpoints," Donna Lahser from the Gastonia Police Department said.
Troopers said they cornered Mosteller near Freedom Drive.
Tina said she can only think about the fact her son or someone else could have been seriously injured.
"It's just stupid," she said. "You can lose your life that quick over nothing."
WSOC
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