On Monday, at approximately 3:30 am, a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was patrolling the area of North Hickory Valley Road and Highway 58 due to a recent uptick in auto thefts and vehicle burglaries when he observed a silver Mercury car sitting in the parking lot of the Mapco gas station at 8604 North Hickory Valley Road. The deputy recognized the vehicle because it had been seen several times at a residence in the area known for criminal and narcotic-related activity.

After getting gas, the vehicle was observed leaving the gas station headed south on Highway 58 without a working tag light. The Deputy then attempted a traffic stop, however the driver of the vehicle failed to stop, and a pursuit began at a high rate of speed. The pursuit would cover several roads in the Highway 58 area until the suspect eventually lost control and crashed his vehicle into a residential garage on Lockington Lane.

The driver, later identified as Thomas Claxton, did not obey commands, and would not exit the garage. For several minutes, Deputies attempted to order Claxton out of the garage with no answer. Deputies evacuated the owner of the residence, due to the threat of Claxton being barricaded inside and the vehicle catching fire.

Deputies then conducted a search of the residence and Claxton was eventually found hiding in a storage closet in the garage. Claxton refused EMS at the scene and was transported to the Hamilton County Jail where he was booked and charged with the following:

• Improper Display of Registration
• Felony Evading Arrest
• Felony Reckless Endangerment
• Speeding
• Stop Sign Violation (x2)
• Aggravated Kidnapping (x2)
• Aggravated Burglary
• Driving Under the Influence
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia