Stolen-vehicle chase from Alamance ends with arrest in Randolph County

A stolen-vehicle chase that started in Alamance County spilled into Randolph County on April 9 and ended only after deputies, backed by the North Carolina Highway Patrol, used a tire-deflation device and a PIT maneuver to stop it at Foxfire Road and Grantville Lane.

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies were called in to assist the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office after the pursuit crossed the county line. A Randolph deputy met up with an Alamance deputy just before NC 22 on Cedar Falls Road, where the response widened as more deputies and Highway Patrol troopers converged on the area. FOX8 reported the chase reached 100 mph.

Law enforcement brought the vehicle to a stop with a precision immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver, a tactic the U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services describes as high-risk and controversial. The pursuit ended without a drawn-out standoff, but the response showed how quickly a stolen-car chase can shift from a routine stop to a multi-agency operation when the driver keeps going across county lines.

The suspect was identified as Martin Cridge Jr., 36, of Franklinville. The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said methamphetamine was found during booking at the Randolph County Detention Center. A Randolph County magistrate found probable cause for felony possession of methamphetamine and felony possession of a controlled substance on jail premises, along with misdemeanor speeding, fail to heed lights and siren, aggressive driving, reckless driving to endanger, resist/delay/obstruct, drive left of center, fail to stop at a steady red light, and speeding in a work zone more than 80 mph or 15 mph over the limit.

Cridge also faced Alamance County charges of felony flee to elude, felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle, misdemeanor speeding and misdemeanor reckless driving. Separate Orange County charges included felony larceny of a motor vehicle and felony breaking and entering of a motor vehicle. The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said he was given a combined bond of $160,000 plus electronic house arrest, and a first appearance was set for April 10 in Randolph County District Court.