A report of a suspicious vehicle in the Copperfield subdivision ended as a four-vehicle crash outside of Sam Houston Elementary School this Thursday morning.
Bryan Police Officer Kelley McKethan says the suspicious U-Haul fled from officers who didn’t want to chase through the neighborhood or school zone.
She says other officers came to the area near the exits, hoping that the vehicle would come out and they could try to make a stop in the vehicle.
Instead, the U-Haul had a head-on collision by the school with two vehicles, causing one of them to strike a third vehicle.
McKethan says one person from a victim vehicle was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, as were the driver and passenger in the U-Haul, 21-year-old Garrett Finke of Washington and 26-year-old Richard George of Willis.
McKethan says Finke was arrested for evading and resisting, and George was arrested on College Station warrants.
Kelley McKethan visits with WTAW’s Kat McMullen
News release courtesy of Bryan Police:
On March 21, 2013 shortly after 7 a.m. Bryan Police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the area of Brompton and Harrow Ct. in the Copperfield Subdivision. Officers observed a U-Haul pickup truck parked in the middle of the street. Officers found two male subjects asleep in the vehicle. When Officers woke the subjects, the driver, later identified as Garrett Finke age 21 from Washington, TX, evaded in his vehicle. Finke was seen driving through a residential yard as he fled the scene. Officers did not pursue due to being in a residential area and the only exit led by Sam Houston Elementary. The U-Haul truck was traveling west on Caterbury Dr. when the driver drove into oncoming traffic and collided head on with a Chevy Malibu which was in the left turn lane. The Malibu was pushed back into a PT Cruiser which was backed into a Nissan Pathfinder. The driver of the Malibu was transported to St. Joseph Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. A 5 year old passenger in the Malibu was later transported by personal vehicle for non-life threatening injuries.
Officers arrested the driver, Garrett Finke, and passenger, Richard “Shawn” George age 21 from Willis. During the investigation it was determined that both were under the influence of narcotics. A search of the vehicle produced several tools which are commonly used in burglary. Finke was charged with Evading arrest and detention with a vehicle (bond not set), Driving while intoxicated 2nd (bond not set), Resisting arrest (5,000 bond), Driving with license invalid previous conviction (3,000 bond), and Unlawful use of criminal instrument (3,000 bond). George was charged with Unlawful use of criminal instrument (3,000 bond) and Public Intoxication (450 bond).
This is an example of citizens watching out for their neighborhoods and communicating with law enforcement. It proves the importance of reporting suspicious activity when you see it. Thank you for helping keep our community a safe place to live.