A poorly executed U-turn was the least of troubles for a 38-year-old Bootlegger fan who decided to flee from police. Unfortunately for the Maryland man, no one informed him Stafford deputies don’t give up easily.

On February 19th just before midnight Deputy K.F. Bierfeldt was traveling Southbound on Richmond Highway in the 2800 block. While doing so, she observed a Toyota conduct a U-turn from the right lane and begin traveling Northbound, but not before striking the curb in front of Jay’s Sports Lounge. After witnessing the curb striking, Deputy Bierfeldt activated her emergency equipment in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop.

The Toyota driver would quickly accelerate into the Motel 6 parking lot and onto Town Center Boulevard before continuing back on Richmond Highway. Deputy Bierfeldt would inform nearby deputies of the pursuit as she continued to give chase onto Garrisonville Road. Despite the Toyota traveling speeds above 90 MPH, Deputy Bierfeldt maintained a visual on it as it turned onto Staffordboro Boulevard and into oncoming traffic. Shortly after, the driver realized Deputy Bierfeldt wasn’t just going to give up and finally decided to park his vehicle on Chadwick Drive. A high-risk stop was conducted and the driver was detained.

The driver, Cuther Watts II, had glassy, bloodshot eyes and the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath. He would admit to consuming a Bootlegger container prior to driving. Two Bootlegger bottles were located in his possession.

While assisting with the traffic stop, Deputy X.D. Bates being the observant deputy he is, realized he observed Watts at Wawa less than fifteen minutes ago. Deputy Bates would respond to the Wawa, located at 105 Garrisonville Road, and discovered while there, Watts stole a Bootlegger bottle. His list of charges would not end there.

Sergeant J.D. Hurt discovered the Toyota was a rental. He would make contact with the renter who advised she did not know Watts or how he came to obtain her rental vehicle considering she was the only one who was supposed to be operating it. Watts was also discovered to have no driver’s license.

Watts was charged with felony eluding, driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content between .15 and .2, unauthorized use of a vehicle, larceny, driving without a license, reckless driving, and failure to maintain control of a vehicle. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.