ASHEBORO, N.C. — A wanted man was arrested in Asheboro following a vehicle chase and a subsequent law enforcement manhunt through a wooded area, authorities said.
Deputies with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office patrol units and the Criminal Apprehension Team responded to Rock Lane shortly after 5 p.m. on June 18, 2021, following reports of a sighting of Matthew Lee McDowell.
Following a search, deputies located McDowell hiding in thick brush in an overgrown wooded area behind homes on Westchapel Road.
McDowell was arrested and transported to the Randolph County Detention Center, where he was served with a multitude of outstanding warrants and arrest orders from both Randolph and Guilford counties.
His charges from the sheriff’s office warrants include:
- Felony fleeing or eluding arrest with a motor vehicle
- Hit-and-run leaving the scene of a crash with property damage
- Reckless driving to endanger
- Two counts of misdemeanor resisting a public officer
- Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia
- Misdemeanor injury to personal property
- Various traffic violations, including driving with a revoked license, operating an uninsured and unregistered vehicle, and displaying a fictitious registration tag
McDowell was also served with multiple failure-to-appear orders, which included underlying charges of misdemeanor probation violation, felony obtaining property by false pretense, misdemeanor larceny, and a Guilford County charge of felony failure to comply.
He was held under a total secured bond of $55,600, and his first court appearance was scheduled for June 21, 2021, in Randolph County District Court.
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