photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Kenneth J. Leedom, pictured Aug. 11, 2019

A man who allegedly led law enforcement on an on- and off-road chase on Aug. 11 was bound over for trial Wednesday.

Kenneth Jeremy Leedom, 32, of Woodbury, Tenn., is charged with four felonies: aggravated battery against a law enforcement officer, aggravated endangering of a child, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and theft/possession of stolen property, according to the complaint filed against him.

A preliminary hearing to determine whether enough evidence existed for the case to go to trial began on Aug. 27 in the courtroom of Douglas County District Court Chief Judge Peggy Kittel. It wrapped up on Wednesday.

The Journal-World also requested and recently received the affidavit supporting Leedom’s arrest. Allegations in affidavits have not been proved in court.

During the first part of a preliminary hearing in the case on Aug. 27, Douglas County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Mehrer gave an account of how the chase allegedly unfolded. Deputy Andrew Haney testified Wednesday prior to the hearing’s conclusion.

Mehrer said he was driving on East 250 Road in Douglas County when a “primer gray” Ford Ranger caught his attention. The truck was stopped in the middle of the parking lot of Deer Creek Wildlife Area, he said. That’s at 1588 East 250 Road, northwest of Clinton Lake.

As he answered questions from Chief Assistant District Attorney Amy McGowan, Mehrer said the truck caught his eye because it was stopped in the middle of the lot rather than in a parking spot, and when he drove by, the occupants “seemed keenly aware of my presence.”

Deer Creek Wildlife Area – Clinton Lake

When he turned around to circle back and investigate, the truck turned out of the parking lot and headed in the opposite direction, Mehrer said. He turned around again to follow it and flipped on his lights to stop the truck when he noticed it was speeding — 61 mph in a 55 mph zone, he said.

The Journal-World has previously reported that the initial traffic stop was near North 1400 Road, which is about 2 miles south of Deer Creek.

Mehrer said that when he stopped the truck, the driver, a woman, said she did not have her physical driver’s license with her, but he got the names of the driver and passenger — Leedom, who gave his name as Jeremy. Mehrer also noticed a sideways-facing child seat in the back, holding a child whom he estimated to be less than a year old.

According to Leedom’s charges, the baby boy was 9 months old at the time of the alleged chase.

When Mehrer went back to his patrol vehicle to check on the names and registration, he said Haney pulled up behind him. The two spoke for a moment, and then Mehrer looked up and saw the truck driving away, he said.

He pursued it at around 90 mph onto East 251 Diagonal Road, and he said once he closed the distance between the vehicles, he noticed that Leedom had moved into the driver’s seat.

He said Leedom turned to head southwest on North 851 Diagonal Road, then turned onto a gravel road or private drive after a mile or two. Mehrer said Leedom drove through a yard and then down into a ravine, and he hesitated to follow because he didn’t know the terrain. Haney said that as Mehrer was turning around, he was able to turn around faster on the blacktop and he caught up with Leedom, heading back in the direction from which they came.

At that point, Mehrer said his options were pretty limited — knowing there was a child in the truck, he didn’t want to use stop strips or do anything that could cause the vehicle to wreck and potentially cause injuries.

Back heading northwest on East 251 Diagonal Road, Mehrer said, Deputy Chad Robertson joined the pursuit. In a stretch of bridge over Clinton Lake, Mehrer and the two deputies managed to box Leedom in as Mehrer pulled in front, Haney on the driver’s side and Robertson behind; the guard rail to the right completed the “box.”

Mehrer said he gradually slowed, at which point Leedom rammed him from behind, knocking off the patrol vehicle’s back bumper. Haney testified that he believed Leedom intentionally hit Mehrer’s patrol vehicle.

Eventually the damage to the truck left it unable to keep going. It was stopped in the 1100 block of East 251 Diagonal Road, according to the affidavit.

Mehrer said the pursuit was captured on his dashcam.

Once the vehicles were stopped, Leedom rolled down his window and put his hands out, Haney said. Then Leedom and the woman got out of the truck.

Mehrer said once Leedom was handcuffed on the ground, Leedom said there was a gun in his pocket. Mehrer said he then read Leedom his rights. Leedom said he was a felon and he was scared because he had a gun in his possession; he said there was stolen property in the truck, and it was all his, Mehrer said.

According to the affidavit, Haney found two rifles and two handguns in the truck, plus the handgun on Leedom’s person. The serial number of one — a Ruger .380 semiautomatic handgun — had been reported stolen, Haney said. He confirmed that gun was stolen from the same Tennessee man whom Leedom reportedly admitted it belonged to. The other guns belonged to Leedom’s father, who declined to press charges, according to the affidavit.

Mehrer said that after Leedom did stop, he was compliant. In the affidavit, Mehrer wrote that Leedom had apologized for running, as well as for running into Mehrer’s patrol vehicle. After the first part of the preliminary hearing, Leedom shook Mehrer’s hand and apologized again.

The baby “was reported to be” the biological son of the woman in the truck, according to the affidavit. She had his birth certificate in her possession. The boy was taken into police protective custody “due to the circumstances of the contact.” Robertson took the boy to juvenile intake, and the woman was released from the scene, according to the affidavit.

In her cross-examination, defense attorney Shaye Downing asked several questions about what initially sparked Mehrer’s suspicions about the truck. She also asked Haney whether the stolen gun had been fingerprinted, and he said no.

Leedom’s case is set for a status conference on Nov. 1 and will proceed to jury trial on Nov. 20, unless it is resolved sooner than that.