Morganton man arrested after high speed chase

A Morganton man began Thursday morning with a high speed chase that ended in handcuffs around 6 a.m., hitting speeds around 100 miles per hour along NC-18 in Morganton, according to court documents.

A grand jury indicted Cameron Dale Shell, 43, of Connelly Springs, of felony larceny of a motor vehicle on Dec. 1. When the Burke County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) spotted a car speeding by on Jan. 29, they attempted a traffic stop.

Shell allegedly ignored the flashing lights and fled, racing down multiple roads in Morganton, including NC-18, where pursuers clocked him at 45 MPH over the speed limit.

During the chase, Shell drove sporadically between both lanes and blew through red lights on Sanford Drive and North Green Street, according to court documents.

The BCSO said Shell eventually wrecked, and officers arrested him.

Officers took Shell to the Burke County Magistrate, who charged him with felony fleeing or eluding arrest with a moving vehicle, misdemeanor failure to heed lights or sirens, misdemeanor speeding, misdemeanor reckless driving with a wanton disregard for the safety of others, and infractions driving left of the center, failing to stop at a flashing red light, and failure to maintain lane control.

These charges are stacked on top of his previously indicted felony larceny of a motor vehicle charge and a misdemeanor failure to appear/failure to comply charge.

The magistrate gave Shell a $25,000 secured bond for the new charges, a $20,000 secured bond for the larceny charge, and a $254 cash bond for the failure to appear charge.

His first appearance for charges related to the arrest came later in the day, where the court appointed Steven Christopher Back as his attorney.

Shell’s next appearance for the new charges is on Feb. 19. His next appearance for the larceny charge is on Feb 23.

—JC