Man denied bond after leading high-speed chase

A Neshoba County man was arrested late last Tuesday afternoon and was denied bond after he led six deputies on a high-speed chase in which gunshots were fired.

James Michael Franklin, 25, 10491 Mississippi 21 north, has been arrested and charged with two grand larceny counts, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and felony fleeing. 

Franklin received $150,000 in bond, $50,000 for three of his charges. He was denied bond for one of the grand larceny charges.

“I am thankful that we have a group of well-trained deputies that pride themselves in protecting Neshoba County,” Sheriff Eric Clark said last week.

Clark said Franklin’s arrest came after a call the sheriff’s office received on Tuesday, Feb. 23, from someone who stated that Franklin had stolen his blue Nissan Versa.

The caller described the car thief as dangerous and said he was armed with a stolen .9mm pistol. That call led to a chase that occurred between 4:30 and 5 p.m., Clark said. 

Neshoba County sheriff’s deputies immediately began patrolling in search of the stolen car.

Clark said Deputy Gordon Adkins spotted the vehicle near the intersection of Range Avenue and Hospital Road.

Adkins initiated blue lights and siren in pursuit of the vehicle and then the driver fled at high speeds trying to elude capture.

The chase led deputies down Mississippi 19 south, making multiple turns that took them through the Deemer community. 

Clark said that at one point in the chase, near David Wayne’s Small Engine Repair, the stolen car passed another car while discharging the handgun into the air. 

The chase soon ended on County Road 444 when the blue Nissan Versa stalled in the roadway. 

Deputies performed a felony takedown on the vehicle and the driver was taken into custody without incident.

Clark said that Franklin has a history with the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office. 

“This is the third vehicle that he has stolen in Neshoba County since May of last year,” Clark said. 

According to Clark, the last incident ended with a stolen truck from the Good Hope community and Franklin being found in Louisiana.