Harrowing high-speed chase in QA County

An alleged bank robber was arrested yesterday after a high-speed police chase through Queen Anne's County ended in gunfire and the man's getaway car crashing into a Queenstown marsh.

The chase that at times clocked speeds faster than 100 mph spanned from Centreville to a rural gravel road leading to a soy bean farm in Queenstown. Police said near the end of the chase, Joseph Fuller Kempf, 23, of Catlett, Va., tried to ram a Natural Resources Police cruiser with his vehicle, though the officer was able to swerve out of the way.

Maryland State Police said Mr. Kempf then tried to run over a Queen Anne's County Sheriff's deputy at the tail end of the chase. The unidentified deputy fired two shots at the vehicle, causing Mr. Kempf to lose control of the vehicle and wreck, according to the report.

The deputy was not injured, said Lt. Dale Patrick, a Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

Mr. Kempf was charged with robbery, armed robbery, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, theft and handgun violations, according to electronic court records. He is being held at the Kent County Detention Center on $200,000 bond.

The chase began at 1 p.m. after the Kent County Sheriff's Office issued a police lookout for a gold 1997 Buick Le Sabre with Virginia license plates. The sedan was a suspected getaway car seen leaving an armed bank robbery at a PNC bank in Galena in Kent County that afternoon.

Shortly after, two off-duty troopers were driving south on Route 301 in their personal vehicle and noticed a gold Buick tailgating them and driving erratically, state police said. The troopers weren't aware of the police lookout, but called on-duty troopers to report the traffic violations.

Police suspected the tailgater was the man they were looking for and two troopers from Centreville and an investigator from the Homeland Security Investigations Division caught up with the Buick.

Troopers said Mr. Kempf sped away to try to lose police. He turned onto Route 305 heading into Centreville. With police following behind, Mr. Kempf sped down Water Street, striking a vehicle that was driving near Route 213, police said.

The small crash caused minor damage to the vehicle it hit, but did not injure anyone, or stop Mr. Kempf from speeding away, according to the report.

He continued east to Route 301, taking the exit for Nesbit Road in Queenstown. Mr. Kempf crashed into a guardrail, then turned right onto Blackbeard Road.

"That was his mistake," Lt. Patrick said.

He said Blackbeard Road is a narrow gravel lane that leads to farmland.

"When he drove on Blackbeard (Road) he had three things he could do," Lt. Patrick said. "He could go through the woods and end up on Queenstown golf course. He could go the other way and drive into fences. Or, he could go straight into the Chester River."

Mr. Kempf drove up to a soybean field, turned around, and then tried to drive head-on into the Natural Resources Police cruiser, state police said.

Police said Mr. Kempf set his sights on a Queen Anne's Sheriff's deputy, who had gotten out of his car and standing in the narrow gravel road.

They said Mr. Kempf drove directly at the deputy, who immediately fired two shots at the Buick - a move that may have saved his life.

Mr. Kempf lost control of the Buick and crashed into a marshy area, police said. He immediately surrendered to police and was arrested without incident, according to the report.

A dozen law enforcement agencies took part in the investigation, including state police, the Kent County Bureau of Investigation, Rock Hall Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation Baltimore Office, Natural Resources Police, and Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Department.

The deputy who fired at the vehicle is on administrative leave while police investigate, and is expected to return to work Monday.