A man accused of fleeing authorities after allegedly committing a crime in Washington County hit a dead end in Eatonton on Monday.
Trabian Pass, 35, of Lawrenceville, is being held in the Putnam County Jail on charges of felony theft by receiving stolen property, two counts of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, driving while license suspended or revoked, failure to maintain lane and speeding in excess of maximum limits.
Pass was driving a 2025 Nissan Altima that had reportedly been stolen from the Dollar General parking lot in Sandersville, according to Eatonton Police Chief Howell Cardwell. The vehicle belonged to a woman who had stopped at the store “to run in and get something real quick,” Cardwell said.
“When she came out of the store, she saw her car driving away down the road,” he added.
A Flock camera detected the stolen vehicle as it entered Putnam County, prompting an alert over local law enforcement scanners. Eatonton Police Officer Nathan Crooks spotted the car traveling east on West Sumter Street and began following it while confirming it was the stolen vehicle.
According to Crooks’ incident report, the vehicle turned onto East Marion Street, where it reached speeds exceeding 65 mph. As the speeding car approached the dead end, it caught the attention of resident Ron Willis, who was working in his yard nearby.
“I saw it going about 70 miles per hour, and it went past here and hit that curb at the dead end,” Willis said. “And when it hit that curb, it got a little air and I said, ‘Uh oh,’ and then ‘BAM, BAM, BAM,’ he hit a tree and an electric pole and a cable pole.
“I think this is about the fourth incident like this we’ve had in the last several years — people fleeing the cops at high speed. I don’t think there’s a Dead End sign, but there needs to be one because they seem to think this is a shortcut.”
The Nissan overturned after going airborne through the woods, then crashed into a tree. The impact caused the large tree to fall, bringing down a utility pole and its power lines. Pass reportedly escaped through the rear driver’s side door and fled into the woods.
Cardwell contacted the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office for assistance. K9 handler Deputy Austin Detweiler and K9 Dino joined the search through the wooded area stretching from the Old Waterworks Building on East Sumter Street to Rudy Creek and north toward Gatewood Schools. Dino reportedly picked up the scent before losing it near a stream.
Meanwhile, residents began calling law enforcement to report a man matching the suspect’s description running through yards in the Crestview Drive area, prompting officers to shift their search to nearby neighborhoods.
During the search, Gatewood Schools contacted authorities after School Resource Officer Jody Mitchum reportedly detained the suspect. Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Chief Russell Blenk then handcuffed Pass after Mitchum ordered him to lie on the ground.
“It should be noted that the suspect had $501 in his pocket, which is the same amount of cash the victim said was in her wallet when her vehicle was stolen,” Cardwell wrote in his report.
Cardwell said Pass and several others are accused of participating in a drug drop at Washington State Prison on Monday. He said the others were arrested in Washington County, though it remains unclear how Pass became separated from the group.