A 37-year-old Manning man received his fourth shoplifting charge of 2014 on Saturday night after leading officers with the Manning Police Department and deputies with the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office on a chase through downtown Manning.
Otis Ulysses Dow of 206 Dyson St. in Manning was charged with shoplifting, third or subsequent offense; trespassing after notice; failure to stop for a blue light; leaving the scene of an accident; and open container. According to reports, an employee with the Manning Walmart told police about 7:11 p.m. Saturday that Dow had placed two TVs and another electronic item in his shopping cart before leaving the store without paying for the items.
Police spotted Dow and a female passenger in a gray SUV bearing out-of-state tags and proceeded to follow the couple. Police activated blue lights, but the SUV continued moving, turning toward the downtown area on West Boyce Street.
"The SUV showed no signs of stopping, and (officers) advised Clarendon Dispatch (that) a pursuit was now in progress, as well as requesting assistance from the Sheriff's Office," the report states. The SUV traveled from West Boyce to Collins to Huggins streets, and then turned right onto Alfred Henry Drive, running a stop sign to head onto Sunset Drive, exceeding speeds of 58 mph before stopping at Fairway Mobile Home Park.
Dow reportedly jumped out of the vehicle and ran on foot a short distance. He then fell, and police told him they would shock him with a Taser if he continued to run.
A search of the vehicle found two 24-inch flat screen TVs valued at $129 each, as well as a sound bar valued at $138 and a bluetooth speaker valued at #30. All items still had the door alarm triggers attached.
Police found a half-full, open 24-ounce Coors Light in the vehicle.
A trooper with the S.C. Highway Patrol told police that Dow also hit a vehicle during the pursuit, causing an unknown amount of damage. He also struck the alarm box at Manning Walmart as he was leaving the business with the shopping cart. Damage to the box was unknown, according to reports.
A check with the State Law Enforcement Division shows that Dow has three prior shoplifting arrests from this year, with the first in March.
