COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — A mom is facing serious charges tonight after deputies say she ran from police, going speeds over 100 miles per hour. Not only did deputies find kids in the car, but they say the mom was under the influence.
According to an arrest report from the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, Nyriah Nichelle Johns, 28, was seen driving northbound on Interstate 85 on May 7.
Police worn body camera video shows the moments deputies found two girls in the backseat of the white Lexus they had been pursuing minutes earlier: an 8-year-old and a 6-year-old who had just been on a ride they won’t forget.
“Hey baby, you’re OK,” said the deputy in the moments after she attempted to pull over a Lexus on Interstate 85 north earlier this month.
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But the driver wouldn’t stop, and according to investigators, she kept going with her speed topping out at 120 mph. The whole pursuit was captured on a police worn body camera video.
Eventually, the driver did stop. They found the girls and more inside.
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“On top of that the fact that we believe she was under the influence at the time. They located a nearly empty bottle of tequila in the vehicle, and they smelled the odor of alcohol coming from her,” said Sgt. Ricketson.
When the sergeant tried to shut the patrol vehicle door, Johns blocked it with her foot. As the sergeant tried to push her leg into the vehicle, she hit the sergeant in the left side of the face with her foot before they got the door closed.
Other deputies at the scene identified the children as Johns’ 8-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old of Johns’ friend.
The children contacted the other mother, who deputies asked to come down to the sheriff’s office to pick up the two of them.
Johns faces charges of fleeing/attempting to elude police, obstruction of justice, alcohol DUI, two counts of endangering a child while DUI, speeding, failure to maintain lane, having expired registration and reckless driving.
Investigators say she wasn’t cooperative and was irate, kicking one of the deputies in the face. The report from the Coweta Sheriff’s Office said Johns’ daughter said “her mother almost hit a tree earlier and that she was very scared.”
The report also said once Johns was at the jail, she was belligerent and pounding on the door.
Investigators say remarkably, this pursuit ended without anyone getting hurt.
“It’s a no-win situation when you’re driving speeds that fast,” said Sgt. Ricketson. “We are committed to enforcing law and order out on the interstate as well as our county roads so everyone can get to where they need to be as safely as possible.”
Jail records show that as of Monday, Johns remains in custody without bond.
A tentative court date of Dec. 25 is currently on her jail record.
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