A Greene County grand jury that met on Monday returned an aggravated robbery indictment against a young Johnson City man in connection with the Oct. 24, 2007, robbery of the Little Caesar's pizza restaurant on the East Andrew Johnson Highway here.

William R. Buckner, 20, of 72 Crescent Street, Johnson City, was alleged in the indictment to have taken $120 cash from a Little Caesar's restaurant employee by putting her in fear using an object fashioned to look like a gun.

An arrest warrant filed against Buckner by GPD Det. Lt. Pat Hankins last year said an employee of Little Caesar's Pizza told police that about 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, that a man wearing a black knit cap and carrying a black handgun drove a black sport utility vehicle to the drive-through window of the business and demanded money from the cash register.

After the suspect took an undetermined amount of cash from the restaurant, he fled in the SUV, traveling east on the East Andrew Johnson Highway.

Felony evading arrest and felony reckless endangerment warrants also filed against Buckner said that at about 11:10 a.m. that day, GPD Officer David Lewis observed a black Ford Explorer SUV eastbound on the East Andrew Johnson Highway near Serral Drive.

The SUV, according to arrest warrants, did not have a license plate.

When police attempted to stop the SUV, the vehicle's driver fled and "placed several other drivers in danger by passing on blind curves and on the crests of hills," according to the reckless endangerment warrants.

Greeneville police and Greene County sheriff's deputies pursued the SUV into Washington County.

The pursuit began when Greeneville police officers attempted to stop a black Ford sport utility vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle involved in the restaurant robbery.

But when police attempted to stop the SUV, it fled at speeds that officers said reached 80 mph on Route 107 in Greene and Washington counties.

The attempted stop took place on Tennessee Route 107 (the Erwin Highway) in eastern Greene County.

The pursuit also continued on Tennessee Route 81 in Washington County before the fleeing SUV turned onto Tennessee Route 67 (also known as Cherokee Road) in Washington County.

The SUV eventually was stopped on Tennessee Route 67 in Washington County after Washington County authorities used spike strips to flatten two of its tires, according to warrants. Buckner then fled on foot but was captured in a field near where the SUV stopped.

The aggravated robbery warrant filed against Buckner by GPD Det. Lt. Hankins said officers allegedly found inside the SUV in Washington County a black knit cap, a black handgun, and cash allegedly taken from Little Caesar's.

(For all other indictments please see page A-7.)