Vehicle pursuit ends with drug charges and one suspect at large
On Tuesday, the 20th of May, 2025, at 8:50 pm, Sergeant Shackley was patrolling the Pink Hill area of Jones County. Sergeant Shackley identified a vehicle with an equipment violation and attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle failed to stop and sped up, leading to a vehicle pursuit. During the vehicle pursuit, Sergeant Shackley was able to identify items being thrown from the vehicle by a passenger.
The vehicle pursuit ended in Lenoir County, where the driver of the vehicle, Kellie Jo Coffee, was taken into custody. The vehicle's passenger, Justin Wayne Houston, fled from the vehicle on foot. The Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, Kinston Police Department, Pink Hill Police Department, and Duplin County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist the Jones County Sheriff’s Office in attempting to find the suspect who fled on foot. While the search came up negative, warrants have been obtained against the individual, and justice will be served at a later date.
Deputies were able to locate the items thrown from the vehicle and were able to positively connect them to the fleeing vehicle. Located among the thrown items were various drug paraphernalia and felony amounts of narcotics.
The suspect’s vehicle was seized under NCGS 20-28.3, more commonly known as the Run and Done Law.
KELLIE JO COFFEE charged with:
Felony Flee to Elude Arrest with a Motor Vehicle
PWIMSD Methamphetamine
PWIMSD Schedule II Controlled Substance
Felony Maintain a Vehicle for Controlled Substances
Felony Conspiracy
DWLR Impaired Revocation
Resisting Public Officer
Possess Drug Paraphernalia
Exceeding Posted Speed
Rear Lamps Violation
Bond: $30,000.00 Secured
JUSTIN WAYNE HOUSTON active warrants for:
PWIMSD Methamphetamine
PWIMSD Schedule II Controlled Substance
Felony Conspiracy
Resisting Public Officer
Possess Drug Paraphernalia
I appreciate all the agencies who assisted, including our 911 communications personnel who were promptly able to get Sergeant Shackley assistance from neighboring jurisdictions to swiftly bring this chase to an end.
Sergeant Shackley was hit by a drunk driver on US Highway 70 back in February of this year and sustained serious injuries from that crash. She has only been back to full duty for a month and is already back to making a difference in Jones County. I want to commend her for her unwavering dedication to Jones County and the law enforcement profession.
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