Deputies say driver hit 115 mph before crash that ended Randolph County chase

ASHEBORO N.C. (ACME NEWS) — A woman wanted on multiple warrants was arrested Thursday after leading Randolph County deputies on a high-speed chase that began near Asheboro and ended in a crash outside Franklinville, according to law enforcement reports and police radio traffic.

Deputies said the driver, 36 year-old Leslie Ann Moore Pugh of Asheboro, took off from the BP gas station on U.S. 64 at Loflin Pond Road Thursday afternoon after a deputy recognized her and tried to take her into custody.

According to the sheriff’s office, when the deputy approached and attempted to take Pugh  into custody, she “refused to exit the vehicle and fled the scene, dragging the deputy a short distance before he was able to disengage safely and call for assistance.”
Video posted to Facebook shortly after the incident shows the deputy with his firearm drawn, giving commands and calling for backup as he chases the SUV on foot through the BP parking lot. The vehicle can be seen fleeing across Loflin Pond Road, cutting through the Exxon (Han-Dee Hugo’s) parking lot across the street, and turning east onto U.S. 64 with another deputy in a patrol vehicle following shortly behind. 

Pursuing deputies caught up to the red SUV as it headed east on U.S. 64, weaving through traffic at high speeds. Police radio recordings from the pursuit captured deputies reporting speeds of up to 115 mph as the vehicle crossed into oncoming lanes, ran stop signs and traffic lights, and narrowly avoided spike strips set up along the route.

Deputies reported that three people were inside the SUV — two women and a man — and later confirmed that Pugh was driving.

The chase continued reaching N.C. 22 through Franklinville and onto Foxfire Road and nearby back roads as deputies coordinated attempts to stop the vehicle.

In the radio traffic, a deputy can be heard saying that the driver had tried to run them over. Supervisors approved the use of a pursuit-intervention technique, or PIT maneuver, as the chase neared Buffalo Ford Road. Deputies executed the maneuver moments later on Granville Lane, spinning the SUV. The driver regained control briefly but lost control again in a curve, causing the vehicle to roll over and crash.

EMS crews arrived shortly after and Pugh and a male passenger were taken to area hospitals with serious injuries. A third occupant, a woman, was evaluated at the scene and released. 

The N.C. State Highway Patrol investigated the crash while deputies secured the area and recovered evidence from the vehicle.

Pugh faces extensive list of charges

Following her medical evaluation and discharge, Leslie Ann Moore Pugh, 36, of Asheboro, was arrested and taken to the Randolph County Detention Center, where a magistrate found probable cause for a long list of new charges stemming from Thursday’s high-speed pursuit and crash.

The new charges include felony flee to elude arrest with a motor vehicle, two counts of felonious restraint, felony assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury, and felony possession of methamphetamine.
Pugh also faces several misdemeanors related to the chase, including resisting a public officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license revoked, reckless driving–wanton disregard, injury to personal property, aggressive driving, and cruelty to animals.

Deputies cited her for numerous traffic offenses committed during the pursuit, such as speeding, driving the wrong way on a dual-lane highway, driving left of center, failure to maintain lane control, running red lights and stop signs, improper registration, improper use of a license plate, and failure to wear a seat belt.

No bond was issued on those new charges because Pugh was already out on pretrial release from earlier cases.

In addition to the new offenses, officials served Pugh with outstanding warrants from prior incidents, including identity theft, resisting a public officer, failure to heed lights or siren, reckless driving, driving while license revoked, unsafe passing, driving left of center, speeding, and a window-tint violation. She was also served with multiple orders for arrest for failure to appear on felony and misdemeanor charges. After those were served, her total secured bond was set at $325,000, and she remains in custody awaiting a Nov. 18 appearance in Randolph District Court.

A probation violation order was active at the time of Thursday’s chase, and she was listed as an absconder by the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections.

According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety, Pugh was released in 2021 after serving three years and five months for a felony breaking and entering conviction in Moore County. Her criminal record dates back to 2014 and includes numerous convictions for a range of charges including theft, drugs, and resisting.