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A three-county high-speed chase involving a stolen car in Tifton ends with the driver crashing into a telephone pole in Wilcox County.

A 33-year-old Tifton man staying at the Econo Lodge told police that his Volkswagen Passat had been stolen from the hotel parking lot on West Second Street.

Officers say the man told them that he had left his room to get lunch around noon Thursday and then returned to the room and fell asleep. When he awoke at midnight, he discovered that his car, $700 in cash, a navigation system, and his phone chargers were missing.

Sheriff’s deputies spotted the car near the Red Carpet Inn in Chula and pulled the driver over.  As deputies walked up to the car, the driver sped away.  Deputies chased the driver through Turner County into Wilcox County where the driver of the car hit several trees before crashing into a telephone poll. 

GSP Trooper Dwayne Massey said 28-year-old Lori Michelle Manders, of Ty Ty, was driving the Volkswagen. Massey said Manders and two passengers, 33-year-old Melinda Rivera, of Adel, and 31-year-old Carlos Britt, of Tifton, bailed from the car after the wreck but were caught a short distance away.

Massey said that Manders, Rivera and Britt appeared to be uninjured and they refused medical treatment. Massey said that multiple charges will be filed in Tift, Turner and Wilcox counties.