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William Hazelwood, 36, of Natural Bridge Station was taken into custody on Friday by officers from the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s office after eluding police in both Rockbridge and Botetourt on Thursday.
The incident began when a deputy with the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office, while on patrol in the Natural Bridge Station area, came across Hazelwood driving a vehicle.
Hazelwood had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for driving without a license and the deputy attempted to make a traffic stop, but Hazelwood continued driving, heading south into Botetourt County. At some point, he and the passenger riding with him, Adrianna West, 32, of Glasgow, switched places in the vehicle, and Hazelwood exited the vehicle and continued to elude police on foot. West was taken into custody on an outstanding felony warrant for possession of a schedule I or II drug.
Officers with the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Department assisted with a search in the Arcadia area for Hazelwood Thursday afternoon and put posts on the department’s Facebook page asking residents to be on the lookout for Hazelwood. They also closed the Arcadia campground dur- ing the search. The search was called off around 5:45 p.m.
Rockbridge County Deputy Chief Tony McFaddin told The News-Gazette that on Friday, the department “received information from the public” that Hazelwood was in the southern part of the county, in the area of Plank Road. A search of the area led to the discovery of a broken down vehicle and deputies used a canine to continue the search of the surrounding area. Hazelwood was located and taken into custody “without incident” on the outstanding misdemeanor warrant as well as a felony warrant for eluding police.
McFaddin said that additional charges from both Rockbridge and Botetourt counties are pending against Hazelwood. No additional charges are pending against West at this time.
