A Burgin man is facing 21 criminal charges after allegedly robbing a Corbin hardware store early Thursday evening and leading police on a short vehicle and foot pursuit in downtown Corbin.
Judge Fred White entered a not guilty plea Monday for Isaac Walter Gilreath, 42, during his Whitley District Court arraignment on charges of speeding 26 mph over limit or greater, second-degree robbery, first-degree fleeing or evading police (motor vehicle), second-degree fleeing or evading police (on foot), first-degree criminal mischief, second-degree wanton endangerment, second-degree wanton endangerment (police officer), operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of a controlled substance, third-degree terroristic threatening, falsely reporting an incident, menacing and a number of traffic related offenses.
White appointed the public advocate’s office to represent Gilreath, scheduled a Dec. 29 preliminary hearing in his case and set his bond at $15,000 cash.
The incident started about 6:32 p.m. Thursday when Corbin Police were dispatched to a complaint about a male shoplifter at W.D. Bryants & Son.
While Corbin Patrolman First Class Chris Brown was enroute to the call, Corbin dispatch advised that employees were attempting to stop the man and he was allegedly confrontational and threatening employees, according to an arrest citation.
When Brown arrived at the store, he had his emergency lights activated and observed employees following Gilreath from inside the store and pointing at him. Gilreath then got into the driver’s side of a 2001 red Ford Mustang and backed up in the direction of Brown’s police cruiser, which was parked behind him.
Gilreath allegedly then fled the parking lot onto Main Street pulling out in front of oncoming traffic. Gilreath allegedly fled at a high rate of speed along Main Street into downtown Corbin driving in the middle of the road, Brown wrote on an arrest citation.
Gilreath struck a street sign located at Eighth Street and Main Street knocking it down and almost hitting the building of Conley Law Office and running over a bush. Then he reversed and allegedly continued to flee down Main Street weaving along the roadway, according to an arrest citation.
He attempted to make a right-hand turn going the wrong way down Fourth Street where he wrecked hitting the side of the building of the Freeman Brothers. He then exited the vehicle and fled on foot down Fourth Street and back onto Main Street before going down an alleyway behind Sixth Street, Brown wrote.
Brown took Gilreath into custody there without incident.
While enroute to the jail, Gilreath allegedly advised that his ribs were not hurting as he previously stated, but that he just wanted to go to the hospital.
While being medically cleared on scene, he advised the Corbin Fire Department that he was trying to go to the hospital so he could say he needed to go to the Trillium Center, a citation stated.
Due to Gilreath allegedly fleeing, no standard field sobriety tests or chemical testing could be conducted, Brown wrote.
Sgt. Jeff Hill assisted with the investigation.
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, Gilreath remained incarcerated in the Whitley County Detention Center, according to its website.
