Shoplifting Leads To Police Pursuit

A shoplifting call at Wal-Mart led to a police pursuit that ended in Sevier County Monday night. Police had been called to Wal-Mart on Cosby Hwy. Earlier in the afternoon on Monday, a man identified as 32 year old Bobby Lewis had loaded over $600 in a tote and tried to push it out of the store without paying. As loss prevention approached, Lewis left the tote and fled the store. However around 7pm last night, Lewis returned for another try. This time he got over $200 but once again he was spotted by loss prevention and took off running, getting into a waiting PT Cruiser outside the store. That vehicle was then spotted in the Bojangles parking lot. A police pursuit then began of that vehicle southbound on Cosby Highway. At one point, Lewis tried to side swipe one of the patrol cars, trying to get the officer to crash. The pursuit continued into Cosby and then onto Jones Cove Road. One of the rear tires on the PT Cruiser burst and fell off leaving Lewis to drive on just three tires and a rim. Lewis went around a traffic barrier where crews were present working on a washed out bridge. Lewis then turned onto Wilhite Road in the direction of English Mountain. He eventually crashed into a utility pole on Chestnut Ridge Court. Two other individuals were in the vehicle as well. They were 45 year old Rheannon Black and 3\25 year old Joshua Moore. All three were brought back to Cocke County to be booked into jail. Lewis faces a myriad of charges including theft of property, reckless endangerment, evading and possession of schedule I narcotics as heroin was found in the vehicle. Rheannon Black had a felony warrant for her arrest in Sevier County and Joshua Moore was charged with criminal conspiracy.