Fleeing from law enforcement in a vehicle is a serious offense in West Virginia.
Offenders can go to jail and end up with a felony on their record.
There's stiff penalties in the state after a Charleston Police officer was killed during a pursuit in 2009.
"Unfortunately, the tragic event involving Jerry Jones, one of our officers who was killed in the line of duty several years ago, is a result of a police pursuit that happened here in Charleston," said Lt. Shawn Williams, Charleston Police Department.
Jones was on a high-speed chase in 2009 when he was accidentally shot by a fellow police officer.
His legacy has lived through the 'Jerry Jones Act'.
It was passed by the state legislature in 2010.
The law increases penalties against people who flee from police.
The charge carries a jail sentence of one to five years.
"The roads belong to everybody. When someone decides to run from the police, they aren't only putting their life and the life of the officer involved, but more importantly, the lives of innocent people that are out there just using the roadways to go to the grocery store, or take their children to school," Williams said.
Williams said that police chases aren't something law enforcement takes lightly. There's a lot of things to consider.
"A police chase is not black and white. No matter what anybody says, there's a great deal of gray area," he said.
Every chase is different than the next.
"The Jerry Jones incident is a prime example. You never know. We never thought that was going to happen. Unfortunately, it did, and we have to take every aspect of that tragic event and learn from it. That's exactly what we've done and will continue to do for a very long time," he said.
An offender can also be fined between one and two thousand dollars under the Jerry Jones law.
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