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Foot chase leads to cocaine arrest By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer A Tupelo man was arrested on drug-related charges on Highway 78 October 10, according to sheriff Kenny Dickerson. Officer Rick Preciado stopped the vehicle near the West Holly Springs Exit as it travelled in the east-bound lanes. The
vehicle pulled over with a driver and three passengers and as the
officer proceeded to search the vehicle, the driver grabbed a bag and
fled on foot into the woods, the sheriff said. Deputies
chased the driver and later apprehended him and located the bag and its
contents - including 13.5 ounces of cocaine powder. The
driver, Deshun Depriest, 38, of the Tupelo area, was arrested and
charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, resisting
arrest and careless driving, Dickerson said. The incident took place
about 1:30 p.m. that Sunday. Depriest was a
fugitive from justice and wanted by DeSoto County authorities on
charges of fleeing the courtroom, according to the sheriff. A judge has
issued a bench warrant for the suspect’s arrest. Dickerson said
Depriest was being tried as an habitual offender at the time he escaped
the courtroom in DeSoto County. Depriest was held in jail on $50,000 bond and the three passengers in his car were released and not charged, Dickerson said. In
other investigations, a rash of thefts of trailers from residential
areas in Marshall and surrounding counties is under intense scrutiny by
the sheriff's department following a citizen’s report of suspicious
activity, the sheriff said. The investigation involves multiple
counties and multiple jurisdictions. “We wish
to thank the citizens of Marshall County for assisting us by reporting
suspicious activity in their neighborhoods that helped break this
investigation,” Dickerson said. “We do anticipate some arrests and have
arrested one suspect.” The sheriff advised
residents to keep valuable trailers, four-wheelers, lawn mowers and
other equipment out of sight either behind their homes or in sheds to
help thwart easy pickings by drive-by thieves. Anyone
who suspects unusual activity in their neighborhood is asked to report
the activity to the sheriff’s department – 662-252-1311. Timely investigation into suspicious activity in neighborhoods gives law enforcement a head start on investigating crime rings.
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