Wichita County Sheriff David Duke and the Invisible Corvette

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

Cops were loaded for the bear and ready to launch a pursuit of a high-value, allegedly stolen car driving through North Texas on Wednesday.

A Dallas area man had informed Metroplex police that a tracking device on his 2019 Corvette showed the car was moving — and that he was not driving it.

Wichita County Sheriff David Duke and combined Wichita County law enforcement were waiting.

News of the stolen car set off a chain reaction of communication between law enforcement dispatchers as they electronically tracked the 'Vette as it sped northwest.

“Any prudent person, from the milkman to the mailman to the garbage collector, would think the police were chasing a guy in a Corvette,” Duke said. “This is going to be a fast chase and fast chases like that end in a bad deal for the Corvette driver. Most of the time, they are not NASCAR-level drivers.

The Sheriff's Office sprang into action as the 'Vette sped through Clay County.

“We heard it as they were driving through Bellevue, so we jumped out and headed toward U.S. 287. I was on the other side of the Wilson Viaduct and was going to set up my spikes. Meanwhile, three other units were installing spikes,” Duke said.

Duke said he set down his spikes and watched through his binoculars.

“They say he’s approaching Henrietta. Now he overtakes Henrietta. Now he's heading towards Jolly and I'm like, “He's getting closer.” Now he has surpassed Jolly. There’s a lot of layers of spike strips, and I’m the first,” the sheriff said. “Of course it gets the adrenaline going.”

Duke estimated that at that time, ten sheriff's units, about nine Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and several Wichita Falls police units were in the group “ready to pounce on this thing.”

But there was no white Corvette.

“I have binoculars and there isn't a single Corvette going by. So we ask central where it is and they say it's around the Quik Stop off Iowa Park Road in Wichita Falls.” , Duke said.

“What the hell is this?” They didn't get past about 19 deputies and troopers,” the sheriff said. “So we're thinking something's wrong. So I gathered my sticks and put them back in the car thinking, “Dad, burn it!” »

Deputies went to the Quik Trip Travel Center on the north edge of Wichita Falls and saw five tractor-trailers parked out back. At the farthest parking spot, they saw the front of a double pickup truck protruding. He was pulling a trailer.

A deputy approached a man working on the rig.

“So the deputy says, 'Hey, buddy, are you carrying anything?' and the guy says he's not carrying anything. So the deputy comes down and sees a small side door open. He looks in there – there’s this white Corvette,” Duke said.

“So we stop the guy and he's got all kinds of 'Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm taking him to Amarillo' and that kind of crap,” Duke said. “The sticker on the pickup is from Washington State. The sticker on the trailer is from Georgia. This guy is not from here.

The man was arrested and the owner was warned.

“It’s about a $100,000 vehicle, I understand,” Duke said. “The owner is happy. Everyone is happy.”

Except maybe Jerreh Korrah from Covington, Washington.

Korrah was being held in the Wichita County Jail on Thursday on charges of theft over $30,000 and less than $150,000, according to online jail records.

Lina Portman

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