It had been a few years since my run-in with the Alabama State Trooper in Dothan (See Honeymoon Trooper). I had the thought, “How in the hell did he get the ass end of that patrol car to sling around going in the other direction like that?” Later, my Traffic Unit partner, Chip, taught me how to spin around on a dime by using the parking brake. I had practiced this maneuver many times, but Otis didn’t care for my driving skills when I performed said maneuver.

As the corvette screamed past, I slung my Ford LTD around and took up the chase with lights going. My four-barrel hit the low “throaty” sound of that era, and I was in pursuit. As I slightly gained, I could see the Vette hit the gas. Black smoke poured from the corvette’s pipes as it accelerated. Now I turned on my siren. Otis made his first whimper. He had a death grip on his seat belt. I then told Otis to hang on and called in the 10-80.  “Radio, I’m 10-80 westbound on 166 just west of the triangle”. Highway 166 was a state highway and had a speed limit of 55 and to this day is a two-lane State highway. The patrol unit in Zone 1 said that he was headed south towards 166 on Big A road. As I slowly gained on the corvette, it disappeared around a succession of sharp curves on 166. I don’t remember seeing another car during that chase, Tunnel Vision, I don’t know?

As I rounded the last curve before Hwy 5 into the straight-away that lay beyond, WTH, he was gone! In the straight-away, I could see about a quarter of a mile ahead, and he was nowhere to be seen. But I thought was gaining on him! How could he not be right in front of me?

Experience told me to backtrack. So, I slid around again and started back eastbound on 166. The little fella made a sound of disapproval, but I couldn’t tell what he was babbling about. I turned off my siren because I had lost sight. I went back around that same curve again with lights going and didn’t see the corvette. Not only that, but I knew that he was trapped between me and the westbound units. Furthermore, I knew there were no routes of escape between me and them. We had him trapped. But I did see a closed subdivision’s paved road to the left. This subdivision had a gate to keep people out because funding for the subdivision had dried up, and it was never finished.

By now, Otis was a pile of jelly. He was slumped down in the passenger seat and white as a ghost. He had his eyes closed. His knuckles turned white as he held onto his seat belt.

I noticed that the gate to the subdivision was wide open. When the gate was open, the Zone 1 deputy could patrol it during their shifts. It was very seldom closed and locked.  I whipped into its only entrance and started slowly into the empty subdivision.