Man fired into Burke Street Pub, killed patron, Winston-Salem police say
19 January 2023
FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A man has been sentenced to spend a minimum of nearly a decade in prison after being found guilty in a high-speed chase with Forsyth County deputies.
In May 2019, Confucious Ledrel Patterson refused to stop at a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office checkpoint on Lewisville-Clemmons Road.
Patterson accelerated through the checkpoint, endangering other drivers and deputies at the scene.
An FCSO deputy began to chase after Patterson with blue lights and sirens as Patterson refused to stop.
Patterson reportedly exceeded speeds of 120 mph during the chase and drove in a reckless manner to attempt to escape law enforcement. He also recklessly passed drivers on Lewisville-Clemmons Raod and US 421.
The chase came to an end when Patterson’s vehicle became disabled due to his excessive speeding.
Patterson is a repeat offender, according to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office. He was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer on Aug. 22, 1996.
Patterson was also convicted of possession with the intent to sell, deliver, and manufacture cocaine on Nov. 10, 1999.
Lastly, he was convicted of fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle in Forsyth County on Sept. 5, 2013.
On Thursday, a Forsyth County jury found Patterson guilty of felony flee to elude arrest with a motor vehicle and having attainted the habitual felon status.
He was then sentenced to a minimum of 111 months in prison and a maximum of 146 months. Patterson was a record level V for felony sentencing purposes with sixteen prior record points.