On Tuesday, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office was notified about a vehicle pursuit coming from Lamar County on Highway 98.
The car was being driven by Alicia Holifield, 33, of Summit who was test driving a car from Ryan Chevrolet in Hattiesburg when she headed out of town with a Lamar County Sheriff’s officer giving chase. The pursuit continued on Highway 98 traveling west through Columbia and then into Foxworth.
On what is known as the Overhead Bridge on Highway 98 in Foxworth the pursuit was ended by the Mississippi Highway Patrol and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Due to the wet road conditions and the hidden visibility caused by the crest of the bridge, another Marion County Sheriff’s Office patrol unit struck Deputy Lance Poirier as he was exiting his unit.
A five year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Poirier was airlifted to Forrest General Hospital where he underwent surgery and is now in stable condition after surgery on one of his legs. There was a fracture on the other leg, but is expected to heal without surgery. He is now on the road to recovery, but the Sheriff’s Office would like to ask for your continued thoughts and prayers for Deputy Poirier and his family during this time and also thank everyone for their support and concerns so far. Holifield was arrested and charged with felony fleeing, with other charges pending. She is expected to be in court today.
