A Blue Ridge man was arrested in McCaysville Saturday night, September 19, after a short chase ended in his vehicle being wrecked and the discovery of a large amount of drugs and money.
Brian Joseph Martell, 35, of 125 Jones Street Apartment C-2, faces 19 charges including trafficking in heroin.
McCaysville Police Chief Mike Earley said officers searching Martell’s vehicle found $2,308 in cash, 16 and 1/12 grams of heroin, almost ten grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana, various amounts of Schedule III and Schedule IV drugs, scales, syringes and other drug related objects. Altogether, 138 items found in the vehicle were logged as evidence. The street value of the confiscated drugs combined with the cash was estimated at over $10,000 by McCaysville Detective Cory Collogan.
Collogan said the chase that ended with Martell’s arrest began when he and Earley attempted to stop the suspect for a traffic violation shortly after 8 p.m.
They had pulled behind Martell’s 2004 Mercury Mountaineer, which was northbound on Blue Ridge Drive, at Kingtown Street.
Martell pulled into the parking lot at Pittman’s Florist as if he was stopping. As Earley exited the patrol car, Martell made a U-turn and headed south on Blue Ridge Drive in the northbound lane.
Collogan said Martell met an oncoming car, swerved back into the southbound lane and then made a sharp turn onto First Street.
Earley said he instructed Collogan to perform a “ram” maneuver and strike Martell’s vehicle in the rear before the fleeing suspect entered the residential district on the narrow street.
Collogan did so and Martell lost control, his vehicle overturned coming to rest on its side. The McCaysville police car suffered only slight, cosmetic damage.
Earley and Collogan approached the wrecked SUV and ordered Martell to keep his hands in plain sight and get out of the vehicle. Martell, who was suspected of carrying a firearm, refused and continuously kept reaching under the vehicle’s dash, Earley said.
Several minutes later, Fannin County deputy sheriffs Sergeant Scott White, Corporal Eric McQuigg, and deputies Richard Gazaway and Amy Mintz, and two Blue Ridge police officers arrived to help take Martell into custody.
The suspect was transported to the Fannin County Detention Center by McCaysville Patrolman Peter Kusek, who returned to the scene to help search the vehicle along with McCaysville officers Brian Collis and Jordan Wright.
Earley said Martell is charged with:
•Trafficking heroin;
•Possession of methamphetamine;
•Possession of Schedule III drugs;
•Possession of Schedule IV drugs;
•Possession of drug related objects;
•Possession of a knife during commission of a felony;
•Brake light requirement;
•Defective equipment;
•Felony fleeing and eluding;
•Felony obstruction of an officer;
•Driving on the wrong side of the road;
•Failure to signal while turning left;
•Failure to maintain lane;
•Reckless driving; and,
•Five counts of misdemeanor obstruction of an officer.
Martell remained in jail Monday, held without bond.