A suspicious vehicle call in Van Zandt County on the morning of February 21, 2025, led to a high-speed chase and the arrest of Steven M. Templeton, of Montgomery, TX.
A Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office Deputy responded to a call regarding a suspicious vehicle on VZCR 2142 and found Templeton asleep in the driver's seat of a running vehicle. After repeated attempts to contact him, Templeton fled the scene.
A pursuit ensued, involving multiple Van Zandt County deputies, a DPS Trooper, and officers from the Canton and Van Police Departments. The vehicle was eventually stopped on the south service road of I-20 near the 533-mile marker exit.
Templeton was arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault on a Public Servant, Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Penalty Groups 3/4 and 1), Evading Arrest or Detention with a Vehicle, and a warrant from Texas Pardon and Parole for Burglary of a Habitation. He is being held on a $125,000 bond at the Van Zandt County Detention Center.
Sheriff Bridger commended the actions of Deputy West and the cooperation of the assisting agencies, stating, "Since the beginning of the New Year, we have added over half a dozen deputies allowing a faster response to our Citizen’s needs and assuring a safer Van Zandt County."
The investigation is ongoing, and Templeton is considered innocent until proven guilty.