Single-car accident on Friday led to manhunt, temporary closure of Hill Farm Road

Police vehicles remain on the scene of the accident Friday evening. Photo by Catherine Hardee / Neuse News

A single-car accident Friday evening led to a manhunt and road closure near Walmart in Kinston.

According to Maj. Tim Dilday with the Kinston Police Department, the Kinston Police Department responded to a report of a single car accident on Hill Farm Road shortly after 8 p.m. Friday.

A vehicle, driven by Michael Ray Cannon of Kinston, ran off the road and rolled over in the ditch just south of the railroad tracks. 

“Officers arrived in the area just as the driver ran away into an adjacent cornfield,” Dilday said.

Multiple officers from the KPD and the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene to search for Cannon, surrounding the cornfield on all sides.

Hill Farm Road was closed as officers conducted the search, which ended just before 8:30 p.m. as officers located Cannon in the cornfield and took him into custody. 

Dilday said that a passenger in the vehicle was injured in the crash, and was transported to UNC Lenoir for treatment.

Cannon was arrested and charged with Felony Hit and Run, Driving While Impaired, Resisting Public Officers, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and several other traffic charges. 

The NC State Highway Patrol, Kinston Department of Fire and Rescue and Lenoir County EMS also assisted in the response to the incident.