MURFREESBORO – Three local men face charges of illegally operating motorized vehicles on pubic roads after they were caught by the Murfreesboro Police Department late last week.

Murfreesboro Police Chief Chris Sumner reported the arrests of Timothy Tann Jr., Kemon Everett, and William Outlaw. Each stands charged with misdemeanor counts of driving unlicensed and uninsured vehicles on the highway.

Sumner said the investigation continues to discover whether or not felony charges are warranted against all three men.

He added that his department had previously received reports from citizens regarding the use of dirt bikes and ATV’s in and around the Murfreesboro area.

“In some of those reports, citizens informed us that these individuals were causing property damage,” Sumner noted.

On Thursday of last week, Sumner said his officers encountered three adult males operating these types of vehicles – two on dirt bikes and the other riding an ATV.

“We were able to give chase at that time, but those three individuals managed to get away,” Sumner said.

Less than 20 minutes later, an MPD officer spotted the trio again, this time in the area of Food Lion (US 158/258 business).

“The officer again activated the blue light and siren on his vehicle and attempted to stop the three drivers, but they sped away once again,” Sumner said.

This time, however, the trio used Main Street to attempt to elude arrest.

“They used the center turn lane to pass other vehicles, which is extremely dangerous,” Sumner said. ‘They also ran through stop lights.”

One of the dirt bikes eventually crashed into a Murfreesboro Police car and that driver was arrested. Sumner said the operator of the ATV turned off the pavement onto a path at which time it lost control and crashed, resulting in the arrest of that driver.

“The other dirt bike sped off, but two of my officers spotted it just a few minutes later attempting to cross over the (US 158/258) bypass,” Sumner stated. “They again gave chase and the operator was arrested a short time later after crashing the ATV on Pinetops Road.”

Sumner added that all three men complained of being injured in their respective accidents. He said all three were taken to the hospital where they received medical treatment and were then released into the custody of the Murfreesboro Police.

Meanwhile, the North Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the crash between one of the dirt bikes and the Murfreesboro Police car. Sumner said this was normal procedure when a law enforcement vehicle is involved in a traffic accident.