EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY – A Porter man in a stolen pickup led police on a wild chase Tuesday night before the truck became disabled and he fled on foot. He was eventually caught, but continued to put up a fight, until he was subdued by a Taser device.
Frank Joseph “Frank the Tank” Bennett, 31, who lives at 23782 Hwy 59 in Porter, was charged with vehicle theft; felony evading arrest; aggravated assault on a public servant; felony criminal mischief; failure to identify fugitive from justice; 3 outstanding Pct. 4 warrants; and an outstanding felony warrant and a blue warrant (parole revocation), both from the state of Georgia.
The chase began around 9:50 p.m. when Pct. 4 Deputy Ford tried to initiate a traffic stop after watching Bennett commit a violation on Farris Green Rd. near Loop 494 in Porter, but Bennett refused to pull over the Chevy Colorado pickup, according to Lt. Mark Seals.
Instead, Bennett drove through the parking lot of Home Depot, and then ran through a ditch on the southeast side of the adjoining Walmart parking lot. On the east side of the Walmart Supercenter, Bennett ran over a chain link fence belonging to a mobile home dealership on the Hwy 59 feeder road, tearing down and dragging approximately 100 feet of six-foot tall fencing. Bennett probably wished the truck was a “tank” when the chase finally ended with the pickup in the middle of the dealership property.
Bennett then jumped out of the truck and ran. Additional Pct. 4 units and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office patrol units responded to set up a perimeter and assist in the search.
Multiple officers were on hand, but it was Pct. 4 Constable Rowdy Hayden who caught Bennett in a nearby pasture. Seals said Bennett fought Constable Hayden, and somehow managed to bite one of Hayden’s fingers hard enough to cause minor injury. The fight continued until the Constable utilized his Taser device, evoking a more cooperative response from Bennett.
The 2006 pickup, reported stolen from Cold Spring in San Jacinto County, now has damage to the right front fender and the front portion of the hood.
Bennett has numerous criminal convictions in Georgia, including theft and drug charges (methamphetamine), along with probation violations. His last parole in Georgia was revoked for violation and he had an active felony warrant at the time of his arrest on Tuesday.
As of this writing, Bennett’s booking information is not posted and no bond information is available. Updates will be posted later.
