DUANE SHERRILLEditor

Sentence has been handed down against a parolee with a history of running from the law after he led officers on a chase across Coffee County last August, slamming numerous vehicles before being chased down and captured by lawmen after he bolted from his vehicle when it became disabled in the middle of Jackson Street.

The suspect, Leslie Simon Boyd, 38, was hit with 28 counts for his run from the law, which ended when he was tased by officers who chased him down by foot near Zaxby’s and Hampton Inn off Jackson Street on that late August afternoon.

He entered guilty pleas recently and was given a total eight-year sentence to charges of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon (x8), DUI, driving on a revoked license second offense, assault on a first responder, leaving the scene of an accident, evading arrest with risk of bodily injury and violation of the financial responsibility law. He was also directed to make $8,791 restitution to the city of Tullahoma for damage he caused and to pay $500 to another motorist who suffered damage. He is considered a multiple-offender due to his record, meaning he must serve 35 percent of his sentence before being considered for parole.

Boyd was on parole at the time for an incident in December 2021 in which he was charged with evading arrest with risk of death or injury. His supervised parole was set to continue until Aug. 29, 2025 before it was violated.

According to arrest warrants against Boyd, the chain of events that led to the high speed chase began to unfold when officers in Manchester tried to pull him over for improper display of tags.

“He took off at a high rate of speed,” the officer reported, noting Boyd hit four different vehicles with one of them being a first responder. “The subject then drove into Tullahoma at high rates of speed.”

Officers reported that Boyd ran from his car once it was disabled due to heavy front end damage from the impacts with other cars.

“A deputy gave him commands to get on the ground and put his hands behind his back,” the warrant reads. “He ignored commands and an assisting county deputy deployed his taser.”

A later count discovered there were seven total victims in the case, explaining the high number of counts which included each victim that Boyd allegedly hit in his attempt to get away. According to Tullahoma Police Chief Chase Sons, one of those vehicles was a Tullahoma Police Department vehicle.

Sons added the motorists Boyd hit during the chase escaped serious injury as no serious injuries were reported to the department.

A search of his car netted a box containing a glass pipe and needles and Boyd allegedly told officers he had smoked marijuana before the incident. Boyd had neither a driver license nor proof of insurance.