UPDATE: (MURFREESBORO) The driver who is accused of speeding away during a traffic stop, striking and injuring an officer has been arrested. At the time of his arrest, he was under state probation for a previous felony conviction. In addition to the driver being apprehended, one of three passengers was also charged with lying to police.

On Wednesday (6/21/2023), 22-year-old William Jai'Quon Kress (pic. above left) was taken into custody by Shelbyville Police.  Murfreesboro police investigators charged Kress with aggravated assault on a first responder, felony evading with substantial risk of injury or death, identity theft, resist stop, halt, frisk, and driving on a suspended license.

Police determined that 22-year-old Carrie Lorene Champion (pic. above right) gave information to deceive police.  Champion was arrested and charged with filing a false report.

As reported earlier on WGNS, the injured officer was assisting another officer and a recruit on a traffic stop along Old Fort Parkway at Chaffin Place around 8:30 Tuesday evening (6/20/2023) when the incident occurred. The driver of the green 1997 Honda Civic sped away, striking the officer who was standing on the passenger side in the attempt to flee. The officer was kept in the hospital overnight and released the next day.

Kress is being held in the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on $37,500 bond. As of Thursday at noon, he was still behind bars. At the time of his arrest on Wednesday evening, Kress was on probation for a Rutherford County conviction on a single count of Manufacture, Delivery or Sell of Methamphetamine. State records show he was sentenced exactly 11-months ago (7/22/2022) for the meth related charge. His 8-year sentence will end in July of 2030.

Champion, who was booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center shortly after 3AM on Thursday morning, bonded out of jail around 2-hours later. The suspect is currently free after posting a $3,500 bond. 

Both are scheduled to appear in Rutherford County General Sessions Court on August 21, 2023. 

The preliminary investigation indicates the driver and two of the passengers got out of the car on I-24 near the New Salem Hwy exit. A fourth passenger, a female, drove the car to the Joe B. Jackson Pkwy Walmart.

Special thanks to deputies with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol for assisting with the search.

NewsRadio WGNS will keep you updated on any new developments. See previous news story here. 

Source: MPD, Previous Case # Case Felony No: 86577

DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.