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Two people are facing charges following a shoplifting attempt and high-speed chase in Centre Wednesday morning, Dec. 28 which ended at Pine Grove Baptist Church. The incident started around 10:45 a.m. in Cherokee Plaza of Centre.

According to reports, Centre Police Officer Wayne Reed was dispatched to the Dollar General in the Cherokee Plaza after a woman made a shoplifting attempt and fled the scene with another person in a Red Lincoln Continental. A chase ensued along Cherokee County Road 22 east. The chase involved Cherokee County Investigator Jimmy Deberry and others with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department. As they sped up, Reed said, the driver became more careless, running people off the road. Reed said he actually lost sight of the vehicle for a period.

The suspect, report said, once again turned onto 22 and headed westward toward Centre and the chase began again. The driver attempted to turn onto County Road 69 at the Church, lost control of the vehicle and drove across the front yard of the church, into the church building and also a parked vehicle in the lot, causing significant damage to both vehicles.

Arrested, according to Centre Police Investigator Arlon Reed, were Marilyn Wright of Ellisville, driver of the vehicle, and Joe Wade Price of Rome, Ga., her passenger, who was injured and transported to Cherokee Baptist Medical Center for treatment.

Wright, 43, was charged with theft of property in the third degree and reckless endangerment. Price, 39, was charged with theft of property in the third degree and failure to pay on previous charges of public intoxication.