What started as a lead on a man selling drugs ended with a high-speed car chase, a collision and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office investigators chasing the suspect down.

According to a spokesman for the sheriff’s office drug unit, the officers went to the place known as the Chicken Shack in Edward looking into a drug complaint: they’d been told someone had set up shop in the old restaurant and was selling drugs out of the abandoned building — a complaint the drug unit had fielded before.

“We’ve probably made hundreds of drug arrests there,” the spokesman said. “It’s still being used as a place to set up operations and sell drugs. Anyone from that area is familiar with it.”

According to a press release, once on the scene, investigators attempted to approach a burgundy Oldsmobile operated by a man they’d been looking for: Jermaine Devonne Moore, 39, of East Firetower Road in Greenville.

“We received information about him being down there and we learned of a couple of locations, but we started there — and there he was,” the spokesman said.

Moore was operating the vehicle; his passenger was Shanel Sabrina Brown, 36, of Bonnerton Road in Edward.  When investigators approached, Moore started the vehicle and began driving in reverse, striking a tree and driving through three backyards before returning to the highway, the release said.

A 15-mile chase led investigators down Tunstall Swamp Road, into Craven County, then back into Beaufort County, all the while, investigators witnessed the passenger throwing objects out the window, said the release. At the time, the vehicles were traveling an average of 85 to 90 mph.

When officers saw Moore slow down and open his car door, they were preparing for him to jump. Instead, he slammed on brakes, causing the closest chase car—a sheriff’s office Tahoe—to collide with the Oldsmobile, said the release.

A short foot chase later and investigators arrested Moore and Brown. According to the drug unit spokesman, between four and five grams of crack cocaine were found in the Oldsmobile and another four or five grams found along the route of the chase, for a total of approximately 22 dosage units.

Moore was charged with felony flee to elude, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, resist, delay obstruct a public officer, injury to personal property and possession of drug paraphernalia. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol also charged Moore with driving while impaired and driving while license revoked. Brown was charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and resist, delay, obstruct a public officer.

The sheriff’s office vehicle involved in the collision had to be towed away.

Moore has a long history of drug arrests with the county. At the time of his arrest, Moore was out of jail on pretrial release for two prior drug arrests in which he was charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin and two counts of trafficking in opiates, according to the release.

“In between the time people are awaiting trial, they continue to sell drugs in our community,” said the spokesman. “You see it all the time, but we’re not going to stop arresting people because they have pending charges.”