A routine traffic stop escalated into a multi-agency pursuit Tuesday morning when a Texas Highway Patrol Trooper attempted to stop a vehicle on State Highway 315 at FM 1971 in Clayton around 7:42 AM. The driver, later identified as Sidney Hunte, Jr., 23, of South Holland, Illinois, was flagged as wanted out of Farmington Hills, Michigan, prompting him to flee the stop.
Hunte’s vehicle veered onto FM 1970, then continued northbound on US Highway 795 toward Carthage. Responding units from the Panola County Sheriff’s Office, Precinct 2 Constable, County Fire Marshal, and another Trooper joined the pursuit. In anticipation, PCSO deputies deployed spike strips near the Loop.
Before reaching the strips, Hunte executed a U-turn, briefly cutting through a ditch and eventually colliding with a fence at the TG Natural Resources gas processing plant off Highway 79S at County Road 104. He then fled on foot into the facility, leaving two passengers behind. Both passengers were detained at the vehicle without incident.
A PCSO investigator later found Hunte hiding in a wooded area behind the plant, where he was taken into custody without further resistance.
Hunte now faces charges of Evading Arrest/Detention with a Vehicle (Felony 3), Evading Arrest (Class A Misdemeanor), and Possession of Marijuana (Class B Misdemeanor).
As the pursuit unfolded, two uninvolved drivers were involved in a minor rear-end collision caused by traffic slowing near the scene. No injuries were reported, and a responding Trooper completed a crash report.
