LAURINBURG — Warrants were issued for a Laurinburg man after leading police officers on a car chase Wednesday evening.
A police officer was traveling on Carver Street and, when passing a gold vehicle, he noticed that it was being driven by 42-year-old Joseph Byrd of First Street. The officer was aware that Byrd did not have his license and attempted to stop him.
Byrd then sped up, refusing to stop for the blue lights and siren. Police lost sight of the vehicle around Tuskeegee Drive and stopped the chase. Byrd was not seen again that night.
Warrants were taken out against Byrd, with various traffic violations being listed.
Byrd is no stranger to law enforcement. He has a long criminal history that, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, began in 1992 for felony possession with intent to sell a Schedule II controlled substance. He was arrested again in 1996 and 1998 for assault on a female and, in 1998, other charges included breaking and entering, domestic criminal trespass and assault with a deadly weapon.
Byrd has been arrested on and off for various drug, assault and traffic charges, but most recently he was arrested Saturday for disorderly conduct. In 2018 he was arrested on several offenses, included having 1 gram of crack cocaine and 2 grams of marijuana on him and was charged with possession of a Schedule II substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, along with other charges of vandalism, trespassing and communicating threats.
All Byrd’s arrests have been in Scotland County.