At about 10:15 p.m. on the night of June 1, 2022, a Kane County Deputy was patrolling about 20 miles east of Kanab. The deputy was traveling west bound towards Kanab when another vehicle approached him from behind and passed at a high rate of speed. The officer activated his lights and siren and attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver increased their speed, refusing to stop. The suspect’s vehicle reached speeds of 117 MPH as it traveled towards Kanab. Additional deputies responded to assist in the pursuit. A set of spikes were deployed and successful in damaging one of the fleeing vehicle’s tires, but he was able to continue driving.
As the pursuit approached Kanab, the officers became concerned about the safety of others who might encounter the speeding vehicle and backed off, reducing their speed in hopes that the suspect would do the same as he drove through Kanab, causing the officers to lose sight of the vehicle. An off-duty deputy who happened to be in an unmarked vehicle was in Kanab monitoring the radio traffic. He was able to position himself near the stoplight at the corner of highway 89 and 89A to observe the direction of the suspect. The suspect had turned off his headlights turning south at the stoplight and then tried to hide by pulling into a motel parking lot. The deputy in the unmarked vehicle was able to direct the other officers to where the individual was hiding.
The suspect, 59-year-old James Eric Davidson, Katy, Texas, was taken into custody without further incident. Davidson was booked into the Kane County jail on multiple charges including several traffic violations, reckless endangerment, no valid driver’s license, registration or insurance, unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon and was in possession of financial documents and identifications that were not his.
This case is still under investigation by Kane County Sheriff’s Office.
