Wanted Sex Offender Arrested in Dade
Press Release from DCSO
On March 9 at approximately 9:40 p.m., Dade County deputies were advised that Fort Payne Alabama PD and the DeKalb County Alabama Sheriff’s Office were in pursuit of a minivan headed north on Interstate 59, toward Dade County.
Dade County units waited at the state line, while Trenton PD units waited at the nine-mile marker to deploy spike strips.
Photo courtesy of Dade County Sheriff’s Office
When Dade County units observed the fleeing vehicle enter Georgia, they took the lead on the pursuit. The driver (Ronald D. Sever of South Carolina) continued to flee from law enforcement at speeds around 90 mph.
When Sever approached Exit 4 (Rising Fawn) on Interstate 59, he took the off ramp (where two more Dade County deputies were waiting) and went west on Deer Head Cove Rd. While traveling on Deer Head Cove Rd, he intentionally struck multiple police vehicles. He drove into the parking lot of a local gas station, where there were patrons standing in the parking lot, while continuing to flee. Due to the extreme hazard of injury to a bystander, DeKalb County units and Dade County units used their patrol vehicles to terminate the pursuit.
Sever was then taken into custody.
After being taken into custody, it was found that the subject had an active felony warrant with full extradition out of Virginia Beach, Va. The warrant was for a probation violation, with original charges related to producing child pornography, failing to follow Virginia’s sex offender laws, and sexually assaulting two girls. Media outlets have also reported that Sever was convicted of sexual assault in Colorado in 1996.
Dade County deputies charged Sever with the following:
- Felony Fleeing/Attempting to Elude
- Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer
- Speeding
- Reckless Driving
- Failure to Obey Stop Sign
- Driving While License Suspended
He is also being held on the warrant out of Virginia Beach. He is currently being housed at the Dade County Jail with a $10,000 bond.
Fort Payne PD will also have charges/warrants on Sever.
Sheriff Cross wants to thank all of his deputies, Fort Payne PD, Trenton PD, and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office for their involvement in getting this offender off the streets and back into custody.
Cross stated, “We work with our neighboring Alabama and Tennessee law enforcement almost daily, and we are very fortunate to have such a great working relationship with each of those agencies. We constantly work together to get drugs, dangerous offenders, and thieves out of our communities, and we will not stop until every last one of them is in jail!’ – Sheriff Ray Cross