A third person has died in a head-on collision which occurred during a high speed chase in Valley in December of 2023, according to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

The ordeal began in Lee County on Interstate 85 near mile marker 66 when a deputy observed a vehicle that had been reportedly stolen at gunpoint in Union Springs recently, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said. 

A pursuit began and proceeded to mile marker 77 -Valley exit where the deputy lost sight and terminated the pursuit, Sheriff Jones added. Minutes later, Valley police observed the vehicles again and the chase ensued. 

During the chase, two-vehicle crash occurred at approximately 9:46 a.m. on Thursday, December 28, 2023 on U.S. 29 near mile marker 205 in Chambers County.

A Valley man, identified as 98-year-old Aron C. Haynes, was critically injured when the 2005 Nissan Altima, he was a passenger in, collided head-on with the 2018 Kia Forte driven by a Troy man, later identified as 20-year-old Wesley T. McKinnon. McKinnon was identified as the driver who was attempting to elude law enforcement.

Haynes was transported to East Alabama Medical Center-Lanier in Valley, where he later succumbed to injuries and was pronounced deceased.  An 18-year-old juvenile, who was a passenger in the Forte, was also critically injured. The teen was transported to a local hospital, where the 18-year-old also succumbed to injuries and was pronounced deceased. 

The driver of the Altima, a Lanett woman, later identified as 64-year-old Regina G. Rutledge and McKinnon were also both injured and transported to Piedmont Hospital in Columbus, Ga., for medical treatment. Rutledge succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, January 4, 2023, at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since the crash, McKinnon has been booked into the Chambers County Jail on two counts of Reckless Murder. McKinnon recently underwent a bond hearing and received a verdict of no bond and remains in the Chambers County Jail. ALEA Troopers continue to investigate.