Five To Seven Years In Prison Time For Hickory Man

32-year-old Nathaniel Lee Miller of Hickory was sentenced to serve five-to-seven years in prison after pleading guilty to fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He was also sentenced as an habitual felon. The Honorable Gregory R. Hayes, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, handed down the sentence in Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, June 7th. Miller will serve his sentence in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.

Miller’s habitual felon status was the result of prior convictions for possession of a stolen motor vehicle in Gaston County (October 2007), larceny of a motor vehicle in Gaston County (July 2012), and possession of methamphetamine in Cleveland County (August 2019).

The more recent charges came after Long View Police saw Miller and a co-defendant in the parking lot at a skills games facility. The two men got into a stolen car. When Officers activated their siren and blue lights, the defendants sped away with Miller driving.

A chase ensued that reached speeds of 55-to-60 m.p.h. in a 35 m.p.h. zone. The vehicle ran a red light, passed another vehicle in a no passing zone, crossed the centerline, and crashed into another vehicle in a blind curve.

Miller and the co-defendant were forcibly removed from the vehicle and treated at a local hospital. The driver of the other vehicle sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The case was investigated by Long View Police and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melanie Earles.

Story: Ralph Mangum-WHKY