Bobby Kays
Robbinsville – It started with a vehicle being taken from the Graham County Sheriff’s Office.
It continued in Cherokee County.
And it ended just shy of the Macon County line.
Robert “Bobby” Kays is accused of leading officials from Cherokee and Graham counties on a lengthy pursuit Saturday night, after Kays allegedly stole the Graham County sheriff’s Humvee and used it to smash through the front of Robbinsville Pharmacy.
Graham County Sheriff Jerry Crisp said Monday no motive has been determined for crashing through the front of the establishment.
Officers were dispatched around 9 p.m. Saturday after receiving a call stating that “an Army-looking van with orange tag” had ran through the front of the pharmacy. Deputies responding quickly discovered the sheriff office’s Humvee was missing from the impound lot, where it was typically stored.
Video surveillance reviewed late Saturday night showed a man looking through the fence at the impound lot before disappearing in the area around the Humvee. A partial view of the Humvee leaving the lot can be seen moments later.
“The lot was full, and the Humvee was parked between two spare vehicles,” Crisp said.
Crisp added that the Humvee was taken to the neighboring 76/Crown Food Mart, where the suspect attempted to place fuel in the vehicle and charge the Graham County Sheriff’s Office for the purchase. However, a keen attendant at the gas station quickly shut the transaction down after roughly $3 had been put into the Humvee.
Following the incident at Robbinsville Pharmacy, a member of the Cherokee Indian Police Department spotted the Humvee heading south on U.S. 129 around Mill Creek. Once pursuit began, Cherokee County authorities were dispatched to assist in the chase.
Stop sticks were deployed at the U.S. 74/129 intersection in Topton, but the Humvee managed to avoid damage. However, the primary pursuit patrol car was not so lucky, clipping the sticks and being taken out of the equation. Crisp, who had caught up with the pursuit around Ledbetter Road on U.S. 129, then took over primary pursuit.
The chase continued into Andrews, where Kays jumped the concrete divider and entered the eastbound lane of U.S. 74. Officers continued to try and box Kays in, but the Humvee turned onto Junaluska Road after cutting through someone’s yard.
The hour-long run finally came to an end about a mile shy of the Macon County line. Though boxed in, the Humvee was put into reverse and attempt to ram its way out of the situation. All told, four Graham County sheriff’s vehicles and one Cherokee Indian Police Department K-9 Patrol unit were damaged in the incident.
Kays tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine, marijuana, fentanyl and alcohol in his system after his apprehension. In Graham County, he has been charged with a lengthy list of offenses: two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official; two counts of reckless driving; two counts of flee/elude arrest with a motor vehicle; resisting public officer; larceny of a motor vehicle; breaking/entering a motor vehicle; unauthorized use of a motor vehicle; injury to real property; driving while license revoked; and driving left of center. Charges from Cherokee County had not been determined by press time.
Kays was also arrested May 4 in Graham County and charged with misuse of the 911 system and providing a false report to a police station.