Two men are in custody after wrecking on Interstate 20 while fleeing Covington Police Department (CPD) and Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) deputies in a U-Haul truck pulling a trailer.

According to his report, NCSO Deputy Joseph Lightsey responded to a reported burglary in progress at AIR Conditioning Specialist on Highway 278 shortly after 11:30 p.m. Feb. 6. The call was in a reference to a male who called 911 and said that he had been brought to Newton County against his will by two men who planned to steal a trailer containing air conditioning units. The caller said that a U-Haul was leaving the business.

CPD made contact with the truck and pursued it onto I-20. NCSO joined the chase as it traveled eastbound.

According to the report, the truck wrecked on I-20 in Morgan County, where Alfred Oray Banks, of Decatur, and Shawn Gaither, of Douglasville, were taken into custody by Morgan County Sheriff’s Office deputies. There were no injuries in the wreck. 

Lightsey obtained warrants for the subjects and took them into custody on Feb. 7. Banks and Gaither are charged with felony theft by taking and fleeing/attempting to elude a police officer for a felony offense.