High-Speed Chase Suspect Identified

More details have emerged from the high-speed chase that enthralled the community last night.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace provided details about the chase, and said the suspect, 29-year-old James E. Tremble, was an escapee who had been on the run for two years.

“This arrest occurred because of some very alert Vicksburg Police Department officers,” Pace said. “They, along with excellent communication and cooperation between the Vicksburg Police and the (Warren County) Sheriff’s Department are to be credited with getting this dangerous person in custody.”

Vicksburg Police Department (photo from the department’s Facebook page)

An obviously proud Pace went on to say law enforcement officers did an outstanding job. They include NET team narcotics officers Mario Grady, Donnie Heggins, Jeff Merritt, plus K-9 Thor and several other officers in marked vehicles from the Vicksburg Police Department, along with Sgt. Jessie Tilley, and deputies Robert Jackson, Zack Primeaux and Ron Nation with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department.

Pace did not mention the work he did on this capture, but several sources credit the sheriff for his hands-on approach and help in the apprehension of the suspect.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace.

“When the suspect ran, he was boxed in on all escape routes by law enforcement. The excellent communication between two separate agencies are to be credited,” Pace said.

Tremble’s last known address was the Hinds County Restitution Center. He escaped from that facility in 2017 and has been a fugitive since then.

James E. Tremble, 29, will be charged with a numerous offenses including felony eluding law enforcement.

The chase began when alert Vicksburg Police officers witnessed what they believed was an illegal transaction. They ran the tags on the suspect vehicle, a brown Dodge pickup truck with Rankin tags, and found that the license number was registered to a  different vehicle. When officers attempted to stop the truck, it sped away. The high-speed chase started at Hope and Clay streets in Vicksburg, and went through downtown and out into the county. Details of the chase are in our story posted earlier, titled “Two Captured after High Speed Chase.”

After obtaining a search warrant, the Sheriff’s Department discovered a .22 caliber rifle in the truck. Because Tremble is a convicted felon, he will be charged for felony possession of a fire arm, in addition to eluding law enforcement, also a felony. Tremble may face other charges resulting from his 2017 escape and prior conviction.

An unidentified woman who accompanied Tremble in the fleeing vehicle was questioned and released, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Sheriff Pace cautioned, however, that aiding an escaped felon is also a crime. “If anyone assisted this escapee knowing he was on the run, they will be charged as well,” Pace said.