Three people were arrested after a 10-mile high-speed chase in Augusta County that yielded three pounds of marijuana, an ounce of meth, $19,000 in cash and two handguns.
Charles Richard Ramsey, 37, Ryan Scott Varner, 26, and Mariah Kelsey Chaplin-Cash, 18, have been charged in the incident, which began on Friday at 9:12 a.m. when a sheriff’s deputy observed a suspicious vehicle on Lyndhurst Road.
When the investigator attempted to make contact with the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed – approximately 75 mph. The vehicle continued to elude for approximately 10 miles before attempting to turn onto Rankin Lane in the Stuarts Draft area.
The vehicle crashed into a yard on Rankin Lane, and one passenger fled on foot and was chased by the investigator. The foot chase continued through several yards and after a brief struggle the suspect was placed in custody. A patdown was conducted and the suspect was found to be in possession of a handgun.
During the foot chase a second suspect and driver of the vehicle drove out of the yard and were pursued by another deputy. The vehicle crashed a second time at the dead end of Rankin Lane. The driver was arrested after a brief foot pursuit. A second passenger remained in the vehicle and was also taken into custody without incident.
A search of the vehicle resulted in locating a second handgun, approximately three pounds of marijuana, approximately 1 ounce of methamphetamine, various drug paraphernalia and over $19,000 in cash. Both firearms had the serial numbers filed off.
The vehicle recovered was a 2015 Nissan Altima; an Enterprise rental car bearing Maryland registration.
The three suspects were transported to the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office. After arriving at the sheriff’s office one of the individuals was able to slip out of a handcuff and fled the parking lot on foot. An additional foot pursuit led deputies across Lee Highway resulting in the suspect being captured a second time.
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