TAHLEQUAH —
Two men were jailed Monday after leading Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies on a pursuit in a stolen car.
Walter William Dill, 25, was held on anticipated charges of knowingly concealing stolen property. Michael Lee Alverson, 31, was booked for first-degree burglary, larceny from a residence, and knowingly concealing stolen property.
Sheriff’s Investigator Harold Thomas said he spotted a pink convertible in the Park Hill area, near Willis Road, and knew the two men inside didn’t own the vehicle. The car had been taken from Veraman and Billie Davis’ garage in Tahlequah but hadn’t been reported stolen when Thomas saw it, according to Tahlequah Police Lt. Billy Dowling.
Thomas tried to stop Dill and Alverson, but the two sped away and eventually crashed the convertible along South 530 Road, between Nalley and Willis roads.
Thomas said Dill and Alverson both ran from the vehicle, but he was able to catch Dill after a short foot pursuit. Alverson escaped into a wooded area.
Tahlequah police, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol responded to aid in the search for Alverson, who was captured later Monday after allegedly breaking into the home of Orville Shapley near Cherry Springs Golf Course.
“[The homeowners] were inside when Alverson entered the residence, stole a purse from the elderly couple, then ran from there and was captured a short time later in the golf course,” said Dowling.
Dill and Alverson were both uncooperative with police when questioned about the case, according to Dowling.
Officers on Monday were still searching for a number of tools the Davises reported stolen from their home.
Court records show Alverson was last charged with a felony in Cherokee County in 2007 for possession of a stolen vehicle. He received a five-year suspended sentence on that charge.
He’s also previously been charged with two counts of second-degree burglary, possession of a firearm while on probation, knowingly concealing stolen property, tampering with a vehicle, domestic abuse, assault and battery, malicious injury to property, and grand larceny, according to court records.
Several of his felony cases were dismissed by the state in March 2011 after Alverson completed one year in a rehabilitation program.
Court records show Dill has one previous felony case in Cherokee County for possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
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