NEWTON, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Catawba Deputies say they tried to start a traffic stop near Highway-127 South and Old Farm Drive for a car with a fake license plate, but the vehicle would not stop.

This happened Mar. 29, 2023. After driving off, deputies claim that the car crashed into an electrical pole blocks away at the intersection of Old Farm Drive and Valley Field Road. The driver then tried to run on foot but was caught.

Investigators say the driver gave a false name, but was identified as 52-year-old Paul Ikard Jr., a wanted sex offender, who was convicted of Indecent Liberties with a Child in 2003 and of 2nd Degree Rape in 2007.

In a release, deputies wrote that Ikard had outstanding arrest warrants for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, Failure to Notify Law Enforcement of Address Change, Interfering with an Electronic Monitoring Device, and a Parole Violation.

Following the chase, Ikard has also been charged with Felony Fleeing to Elude Arrest, Identity Theft, Reckless Driving, and Resisting a Public Officer, deputies say. Ikard is being held on a $10,000 secured bond for the charge of Interfering with an Electronic Monitoring Device and no bond on the other charges.

“In pursuing and apprehending this fleeing suspect our deputies removed a very dangerous criminal from our communities,” says Sherrif Brown. “I’m very proud of their work. We strictly enforce sex offender laws here in Catawba County.”