Hemphill, Texas Man Arrested After Pursuit in Stolen Dump Truck

According to a release from the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office, a Hemphill, Texas man was booked into the Nacogdoches County jail Tuesday evening (4/25/23) after leading law enforcement officers on a pursuit in a dump truck.

At 4:48 p.m. Monday, NCSO deputies were dispatched to intercept a reported reckless driver in a 1996 Ford F-350 that had been converted into a dump truck. The truck, driven by a person later identified as Cory Ashton Wright, 29, of Hemphill, was headed into Nacogdoches County from San Augustine County on State Highway 103.

Wright initially pulled over when deputies attempted to make a traffic stop near the intersection with FM 226 near Etoile in Nacogdoches County before speeding off towards Angelina County again.

Wright drove dangerously as law enforcement attempted to stop him, pulling into oncoming traffic and onto the shoulder. At one point during the pursuit, the hydraulic bed of the truck, which was filled with asphalt, was raised while it was in motion.

Angelina County deputies, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, and Lufkin Police Department officers joined the pursuit as Wright was chased into Angelina County. Wright eventually stopped when he found himself caught between pursuing law enforcement officers and state troopers, who had blocked the road ahead of him and set out spike strips to disable his vehicle.

After Wright was apprehended, it was discovered the truck had been reported stolen out of Sabine County, where his involvement in several other offenses was under investigation.

The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office charged Wright with a state-jail felony for evading arrest. Additional charges against him are possible. He is being held at the Nacogdoches County jail before being transported to Sabine County