Kidnap pursuit ends successfully MPPD to review pursuit policies

By CASEY BUECHEL - Tribune Staff Writer
Thursday, July 30, 2009 12:38 PM CDT

TRIBUNE photo by Casey Buechel TCSO Capt. Livingston calms Gage as Morris County Sheriff Jack Martin looks on and MCSO deputy Peggy Connor makes a phone call for the victim.

When Mount Pleasant Police Department (MPPD) patrol cars abruptly ended a pursuit involving a possible hostage situation Wednesday evening, it fell to Titus County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) deputies to continue and end the pursuit, rescue the hostage and place the suspected kidnapper in custody. Vance Lamar Hill, 37, of Mount Pleasant, was later transferred to MPPD custody for the investigation of the crime and MPPD officers have charged Hill with a first degree felony charge of aggravated robbery and a first degree felony charge of aggravated kidnapping.

His hostage, Edna Gage of Mount Pleasant, was treated and released by Champion EMS on Highway 49 and later returned to Mount Pleasant with MPPD investigators to complete her interviews concerning the kidnapping and robbery.

Although little is known about what triggered the kidnapping, the probable cause affidavit filed when Hill was booked into the Titus County Jail states that, "on 7/29/09 Vance Hill broke into Gage's residence with a metal pipe and demanded Gage give him her money and purse. Hill then forced Gage to withdraw money from an ATM. Hill then forced Gage to drive him to Daingerfield where he purchased crack cocaine. Hill was then involved in a vehicle pursuit with police where Hill held Gage against her will and drove Gage's vehicle from the passenger seat with Gage in the driver's seat."

Apparently while in Daingerfield, Gage was able to make a 911 call which went to Morris County who alerted the 911 system in Mount Pleasant.

At that point, MPPD officers were dispatched to Gage's home in the 1300 block of Merritt where they discovered evidence of the break-in.

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While the officers were at the house, they observed the car with Gage and Hill pass by the residence. Officers immediately began a pursuit of the vehicle through the city streets near Dellwood Park in the southeastern section of Mount Pleasant. .

A call had gone out for agency assistance and, as MPPD officers pursued the vehicle at low speeds on city streets at 6:59 p.m., TCSO deputies were also responding.

When the car turned east on Highway 49, MPPD officers kept up the pursuit as it gained speed until the chase reached the Mount Pleasant city limits where they were told by a supervisor to end their pursuit.

The officers complied with the order and TCSO deputies then took up the lead positions in the pursuit which briefly reached speeds of 80 mph.

Approximately one mile east of the Mount Pleasant city limits, Deputy David Robinson, who had jumped ahead of the pursuit on Ferguson, deployed a spike strip on Highway 49 which punctured both the front and back tires on the passenger side of the vehicle.

The vehicle kept going east, albeit with slower and slower speeds for another six minutes along SH 49, eventually shedding all the rubber from both punctured tires and travelling on the rims.

When the car finally stopped, deputies approached the vehicle and ordered Hill to open his door and exit the car.

"Mr. Hill refused to comply with our directions and so our deputies had to break the passenger side window and remove Mr. Hill from the car," said TCSO Capt. John Livingston who arrived on scene within minutes of the stop.

"Mrs. Gage was treated by the EMS personnel at the scene for what we believe to be minor injuries," said Livingston, who added that he thought the suspect Hill was also checked out by the EMS personnel at the scene.

The stop came at the Titus County/Morris County line and units from both Morris County and the Texas Department of Public Safety were on hand as MPPD officers arrived later to take custody of Hill and begin their interviews with Gage.

When questioned concerning the abrupt end of the MPPD involvement in the pursuit, MPPD Chief J.C. "Jay" Burch said in an e-mail communication: "MPPD officers pursued the vehicle outside the city limits and were joined by TCSO deputies and DPS. 

"Through a miscommunication, MPPD officers were ordered to back out of the chase because it was thought only one person, the suspect, who was known to police, was in the car and pursuing a known suspect fleeing in a vehicle is usually prohibited by police policy except under certain circumstances or criminal offenses. 

"In addition, police policy dictates inclement weather is another major factor in determining whether to pursue a suspect vehicle or not - and the roadway was wet and rainy.  However, in this case, since there was an alleged hostage in the vehicle, MPPD officers would normally continue a pursuit and be allowed to do so under policy. 

"Again, due to a miscommunication, when the chase was originally called off, it was thought only the suspect was in the vehicle."

Burch also says in the email: "Fortunately MPPD officers remained in the area with TCSO and DPS when those agencies were able to get the suspect vehicle stopped and take the suspect, Vance Hill, into custody.  The alleged hostage in the incident was unharmed."

However, while the Tribune representative at the scene saw Morris County personnel and cars and DPS personnel and cars, one agency that was not visible at the scene of the pursuit stop was the Mount Pleasant Police Department.

But MPPD officers did eventually leave the city limits of Mount Pleasant and take custody of the suspect Hill.

The city agency did take Hill to Titus Regional Medical Center Emergency Room before interviewing him at MPPD headquarters and then booking him into the Titus County Jail.

Burch and his department will be addressing the issue during the day on Thursday.

"Because of the miscommunication, police department staff will be de-briefing this incident Thursday with patrol supervisors and dispatchers to determine any needed changes in policy and procedure to make sure there in no further occurrence of this problem in the future," he said.

No such meeting is necessary for the Titus County Sheriff's Office, according to Sheriff Tim Ingram.

"One more time, I feel that my department carried off a textbook pursuit," he said.

"Everyone, the dispatchers Jennifer Baxter and Chance Banks, the patrol deputies David Robinson and Randall Lain, the patrol sergeant Ray Barrett and Captain John Livingston performed flawlessly in this situation and I am, again, very, very proud of them," said Ingram.

If convicted of the charges, Hill could face up to 99 years in prison on each charge and the possibility of a fine not to exceed $10,000 for each charge as well.