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Deputies received a call on Tuesday morning regarding a suspicious U-Haul with cardboard covering the registration plate that was parked at a residence in the 1000 block of Hemlock Lane, officials say.
Responding officers canvassed the area, and tracked the vehicle to the parking lot of BJ's on Market Street, where several people were spotted walking away from the van and into the store, authorities said.
It all lead to a strange series of events that played out beginning at around 8:15 a.m. on May 14.
According to authorities, the van, being driven by Baltimore resident Dwayne Ford, Sr. pulled away from the parking lot, prompting a traffic stop by members of the sheriff's office interested in investigating further.
During the subsequent stop, officials say that Ford refused to exit the vehicle, and when a deputy grabbed onto his arm in an attempt to detain him, Ford kicked the vehicle into drive and sped away, striking the officer's arm, though he was uninjured.
Deputies pursued the van, which wound up fleeing east on Route 140, though when Ford began passing traffic on the shoulder, it was called off for safety reasons, though police in Baltimore were advised he was heading in their direction.
Ford was tracked through Baltimore and ultimately apprehended after being stopped by city police on Edmondson Avenue and transported back to Carroll County.
A spokesperson from the sheriff's office said that three others linked to the gambit were spotted walking out of BJ's and interviewed by deputies, leading to the arrest of Forest Park resident Leon Dennis, and Baltimore native Callie Morgan and a third person - who has not been identified - "who eventually began to show signs of an overdose and was transported to Carroll Hospital Center for further care."
Ford, 56, was charged with:
- Fourth-degree burglary;
- Resisting or interfering with an arrest;
- First- and second-degree assault;
- Multiple traffic offenses related to his fleeing from the initial traffic stop.
Dennis, 34, was charged with fourth-degree burglary, and providing fraudulent ID to avoid prosecution. Morgan, 40, was charged with burglary.
The fourth man is expected to be charged once he is released from the hospital.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Ford and Dennis were being held pending a bail review hearing and Morgan was released.
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