ATHENS, TEXAS — A Kaufman County man who stole an 18-wheeler, refused orders to get out when police found him inside the running cab, and led officers on a chase spanning more than 20 miles across two counties has been sentenced to 30 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Donny Dewayne Adams, 52, was sentenced last week on charges of evading arrest with a vehicle and theft of property valued between $30,000 and $150,000, according to the Henderson County District Attorney.
The crime occurred on April 4 when Gun Barrel City police responded to a report of a stolen 18-wheeler found running behind a business on West Main Street. Officers found Adams inside the cab and ordered him out. He refused. The truck had been reported stolen several days earlier and had been hotwired. Adams drove away, leading police on a pursuit that stretched more than 20 miles before ending near County Road 2514 and County Road 2517 in Van Zandt County, where he was arrested.
At the time of the arrest Adams was already on parole for evading arrest or detention in a vehicle. His criminal history included multiple felony theft convictions in Dallas, Tarrant, Van Zandt, and Ellis counties, convictions for unauthorized use of a vehicle in Dallas and Kaufman counties, and an assault conviction.
A second person, Barbie Renee McKinley, 57, also of Kaufman County, was arrested in connection with the incident on charges of burglary of a vehicle and theft of property. Her case was not addressed in the sentencing announcement.
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