ST. STEPHEN, S.C. – A high-speed chase on a small motorcycle tore through the St. Stephen area before ending in the woods — and with a major drug and gun arrest, according to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.
Thomas Scott Moody, 48, of Potter Road, is facing a stack of charges after deputies said he took off on a mini Kawasaki Ninja-style bike when they tried to pull him over March 20.
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It started on Mendel Rivers Road near Harristown Road, where a Berkeley County deputy clocked the small bike flying down the roadway at a high rate of speed. When blue lights came on, deputies said Moody hit the throttle instead of the brakes.
The chase didn’t last forever. Deputies said Moody lost control of the bike in muddy terrain, ditched it and bolted into the woods — sparking a foot pursuit. That’s when things escalated.
Authorities said a taser was deployed as Moody ran, and at one point he reached toward a loaded firearm before deputies were able to take him into custody.
Once in cuffs, deputies said Moody spontaneously admitted he had drugs on him.
A search turned up roughly 42 grams of methamphetamine, along with a loaded .22 caliber handgun and extra ammunition, according to the sheriff’s office.
Moody now faces charges including failure to stop for blue lights, resisting arrest, drug trafficking and possession of a firearm during a violent crime.
He was booked into the Hill-Finklea Detention Center.
Sheriff’s officials say the arrest is part of an ongoing push to crack down on reckless driving, drugs and illegal firearms in Berkeley County.
