Suspicious Person Call Leads to Chase & Arrest

7/15/2019 @ 00:01 hrs. Lee County Sheriff Office deputies were called to 97 Deep River Rd. to investigate suspicious people in a red vehicle. The responding deputy located a red Kia Sol in the parking area and activated his blue lights and attempted to approach the vehicle. At that point the operator of the red vehicle backed into the direction of the deputy attempting to run the deputy over. At that point the deputy fired his duty weapon into the vehicle and at which time the driver of the red vehicle fled the scene. The deputy on scene gave chase which ended in the city limits of Sanford. During the chase the deputy struck a median on Steele St., resulting in a crash into a retail establishment. The driver of the vehicle abandoned the vehicle at 319 Steele St. and fled on foot.

The driver of the vehicle was located under a house with the assistance of Sanford Police Department and a K9 unit from Harnett County Sheriff’s Office. Cory Dexter Fennell (37), of 1073 Austin Dr. Fayetteville NC was arrested and charged w/ 1st degree attempted murder and felony/elude arrest in a motor vehicle; he was held under $350,000 secured bond. (Fennell was not injured in this incident)