Man allegedly crashes into home; owner helps detain suspect

Sep. 1--A Georgia man crashed into a Chattanooga home on North Moore Road during a high-speed chase early Saturday and tried to get the homeowner to hide him from police, according to an arrest report.

The homeowner detained the suspect, Nicholas Spuregon, until pursuing officers arrived and arrested the 27-year-old man.

Police believe he was intoxicated.

Spuregon, of White, Georgia, was charged with reckless endangerment, criminal trespassing, resisting arrest or obstruction of the legal process, evading arrest, traffic control signals violation, driving left of the center line, speeding, reckless driving, driving under the influence, no proof of insurance and failure to exercise due care, the report states.

The chase began when an officer working an extra job at the Brainerd Road Waffle House reported he saw a black Chevrolet Silverado run a red light at the Moore Road intersection.

The driver turned through Barger Academy of Fine Arts' parking lot when the officer attempted to stop him, police said.

The driver took off, traveling "well over" 100 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone before traveling off the road. The truck traveled through several yards, a mailbox, a wood privacy fence, a wood storage shed and finally into the garage of a home in the 1100 block of North Moore Road. The truck hit two cars parked in the garage, according to the report.

A man later identified as Spuregon got out of the truck, entered the house and demanded the homeowner hide him from police, according to the report. The man at the home detained Spuregon until officers arrived.

The arresting officers claim to have smelled an intoxicant coming from Spuregon.

The officer asked Spuregon to take a breathalyzer test. He agreed but allegedly intentionally did not perform the test correctly. Officers claim he purposefully allowed air to escape the side of his mouth, causing the machine to time out three times.

Spuregon was taken to Parkridge East hospital to be checked for injuries and give a blood sample before being taken to the Hamilton County Jail.

Contact Mark Pace with questions, comments, concerns or story tips at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook at ChattanoogaOutdoorsTFP.

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