An 18-year-old Cartersville woman is accused of leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase Tuesday night at 11 p.m.  According to Bartow County Sheriff’s Office reports, a deputy traveling on highway 293 at Hamilton crossing witnessed a Dodge Charger accelerate at high rates of speed through the BP Gas Station parking lot and onto Hamilton Crossing Road. The vehicle reportedly continued onto Fire Tower Road at high rates of speed, then onto Highway 293 without stopping at the stop sign. The vehicle allegedly traveled at 120 miles per hour, using both lanes to make turns. Other deputies joined the chase and lost sight of the car as it traveled onto several streets. The vehicle was eventually located at 143 East Howard Street. Deputies say the car was empty but hot to the touch. They also noticed front-end damage to the vehicle.
They knocked at the door and spoke with 18-year-old Ja Quisha Ketrea Cole of Hamilton Crossing Road. Cole said she was the vehicle’s driver but did not know why she decided to flee from law enforcement officers. According to the report, Cole is just 4 feet 10 inches tall, but the driver’s seat was positioned for a much taller person. Deputies also found a firearm on the passenger seat. They asked another person at the residence if he was actually the car’s driver and if the gun belonged to him. The unnamed person has a felony case pending out of Cobb County.
The male said his mother picked him up from work at Toyo Tire, and he had been home since then. Cole, who has no criminal history, was arrested and charged with felony fleeing, reckless driving, and failure to maintain lane. The wrecker service found a bumper matching the car on Turner Street. The gun was placed into evidence.