Rossville Mayor Johnny Baker said it will cost the city about $25,000 to replace a veteran‘s memorial fountain destroyed by a teen driver during a high-speed police chase.

Police were chasing the teen driver on June 22 when he crashed into the fountain at Chickamauga and McFarland avenues.

“We just completed streetscape and then they (the teens) go up there and destroy that, when we are in the process of beautification. It is a real bad blow for us,” Mayor Baker said.

According to an incident report from the Walker County Sheriff’s Department:

A deputy spotted a suspicious truck with a Florida license plate driving in the Dewberry community about 6:30 a.m. in a known drug area near Hutchinson Medical Center.

The driver ran two stop signs, so the deputy turned on his blue lights. The driver fled, leading the deputy on a high-speed chase along Ga. 2. As he was chasing the vehicle the deputy saw the driver throw out a plastic bag.

The driver turned north onto McFarland Avenue, traveling at 110 mph. As the chase continued, the driver struck a guard rail, blowing out the left front tire, but continued driving on the rim.

As the driver attempted to turn left at Chickamauga and McFarland avenues, he lost control and struck the memorial. The driver, age 16, and a 22-year-old passenger got out of the truck and were taken into custody.

The driver is being held at the Rome juvenile detention facility. He was scheduled for a court hearing at the Walker County Courthouse in juvenile court Monday afternoon, June 30.

Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said the truck was being reported stolen to the Chattanooga police as the chase was happening.

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