AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — Virginia State Police, with the assistance of Augusta County Sheriff’s deputies, arrested a 37-year-old Harrisonburg man following a pursuit Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Augusta County. 

According to a release, a Virginia state trooper was alerted to a stolen van travelling on Route 11 northbound in Verona, VA at approximately 4:47 PM. The van refused to stop, and a pursuit was initiated near the intersection of Route 612 and Route 11. 

The van entered Interstate 81 southbound, where Augusta County deputies deployed spike strips, deflating the van’s driver’s side rear tire at the 225-mile-marker. 

The suspect continued to drive and then used the crossover at the 223-mile marker, nearly striking one northbound tractor trailer before getting involved in a collision with a second tractor trailer.  The collision deflated the front driver’s side tire of the stolen van, stopping the vehicle.  The driver then attempted to flee on foot, before he was taken into custody. 

The driver, Jamie Charles Whitesel, 37, of Harrisonburg, VA, has been charged with Felony Eluding, Felony Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, Driving Under the Influence, Reckless Driving, Driving while Suspended, Driving while Revoked, Illegal Use of a Crossover, and an Unsafe Lane Change. 

Whitesell is currently being held at the Middle River Regional Jail.