by Don Richeson –Â
The driver of a pickup truck that plowed through a brick wall and into a vacant Route 17 building Saturday night is now behind bars in a Saluda jail and facing multiple charges, the Sentinel learned after going to press Wednesday. He has also been identified. The man is Brandon Alan McCarthy, 38, of Chesapeake, according to a news release issued Wednesday by Capt. W.R. Balderson of the King and Queen County Sheriff’s Office, one of multiple agencies involved in the investigation.
McCarthy, who reportedly received serious injuries in the 10:14 p.m. Jan. 2 Glenns crash, was airlifted to Medical College of Virginia Hospital in Richmond, but was later released and then arrested, according to the release. McCarthy was charged with two felonies — driving while license revoked for DUI-related charge and endangering another; and disregarding a signal by a law enforcement officer to stop, eluding police. He was also charged with a misdemeanor — failure to yield right-of-way or reduce speed when approaching stationary vehicles displaying warning lights on highways. He remains held without bond Thursday in Middle Peninsula Regional Jail.
Leading up to the crash, McCarthy had led deputies on a high speed chase that started in the Mattaponi area. The 2003 Chevy Avalanche had at times reached speeds of 115 mph while traveling with its lights turned off. The Avalanche had been reported stolen by the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.
King and Queen County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Z.A. Williams  had initiated the chase after he spotted the Avalanche traveling at a high rate of speed and weaving in and out of traffic. In response, Sgt. Williams activated his blue lights and attempted to get the pickup to pull over, but the driver refused to stop.
At the intersection of Route 33 and Route 17 in Gloucester County, Â about two miles from the Middlesex County line, the Avalanche ran a red light, jumped an embankment, struck a second vehicle and continued across both lanes of U.S. 17 where it slammed into a vacant building, a former branch office of BB&T Bank. After knocking down multiple walls, it came to rest partly inside the building. The name and condition of the second driver were not immediately released.
Gloucester County Fire and Rescue workers extricated the Avalanche driver from the vehicle.
McCarthy’s arraignment on the charges is pending currently in the King and Queen County General District Court.
Virginia State Police investigators are also investigating.
(Southside Sentinel reporter Tom Chillemi contributed to this story.)
