Drugs and guns found after multi-county chase ends in Columbia, SC cops say
A man is behind bars after leading law enforcement officers on a chase through multiple Midlands counties Wednesday, according to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office.
James Cowart, a 43-year-old Winnsboro resident, was charged with multiple traffic offenses, in addition to drug and weapons crimes, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The chase began in the afternoon when a deputy tried to pull over the vehicle Cowart was driving after seeing it swerve into oncoming lanes of traffic, according to the release.
Cowart refused to stop on Peach Road and drove off, heading south on Interstate 77, the sheriff’s office said.
A pursuit continued down I-77 and into Richland County, where Cowart led deputies onto Blythewood Road and Wilson Boulevard before returning to the highway, according to the release.
Deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department joined the chase, and at one point in the pursuit Cowart drove into the northbound lanes of I-77 as he continued to head south, the sheriff’s office said.
Richland County deputies were able to stop Cowart’s vehicle near Exit 18 on I-77, the Farrow Road exit, according to the release. The chase ended in Columbia, more than 15 miles from where the initial traffic stop was attempted.
Information on how the vehicle was stopped was not available, but the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office said there were no injuries.
“I want ... to thank the Richland County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance,” Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery said in the release.
When he was taken into custody Cowart, a convicted felon, was found to be in possession of several guns and a substance believed to be methamphetamine, according to the release.
Cowart was charged with multiple traffic offenses, including failure to stop for a blue light and siren, in addition to charges for possession of methamphetamine, and several gun-related charges, the sheriff’s office said.
Cowart was taken to the Fairfield County Detention Center where he’s waiting for a bond hearing, according to the release.
“I am proud of the professionalism of our deputies in how this incident was handled,” Montgomery said. “We are glad to be able to take three more guns off of the streets from a person who has no legal right to possess them.”
Cowart is also wanted in Alabama, as well as Kershaw County, where he failed to appear in court after being arrested on a larceny charge, judicial records show. Cowart was arrested on that charge on June 22, 2021, and posted a $7,500 surety bond that same day, according to court records.
Cowart also has a previous conviction in Kershaw County on a speeding charge, court records show.
Information about the charges facing Cowart in Alabama was not available.
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This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 8:49 AM.
