Sheriff's Deputy On Leave After Chase

A Madison County Sheriff's Deputy is on leave after leading officers from five jurisdictions on a brief, late night chase early Saturday morning.

Deputy Scott Bishop fled in his truck from two game wardens after they caught him allegedly spotlighting deer at about 1:30 a.m. in the area of Wall Road and Dug Hill road. The chase ended on Hillside Lane off Old Gurley Road east of Huntsville after Bishop's truck ran over spike strips. No one was injured in the chase.

Game wardens Joe Lindsey and Jason Dean attempted to detail and subsequently began pursuing Bishop after he allegedly shined a light at a deer before taking a shot at it in a pasture off Windwood Drive.

Casey Beam, a resident of Lubbock, Texas visiting her parents for the holidays heard the shots and witnessed the beginning of the chase. "We were watching TV and heard a noise but we really didn't pay much attention to it. A few minutes later looking through the kitchen window I could see people standing outside a truck with a big light in the pasture in front of the house." Beam continued, "a few minutes later another truck pulled up and put their blue lights on. This is when the first truck turned around in the road and started to leave. The second truck followed which started the chase."

According to a story in the Huntsville Times, Bishop was booked in the Madison County metro jail on 11 misdemeanor counts and was released during the weekend on a $3,300 bond. Sheriff's office spokesman said they will not release a photo of Bishop for a few days because it could harm some of the department's unrelated, but continuing, investigations.

State game wardens charged Deputy Scott Bishop with hunting deer at night, hunting from a public road, hunting without a written permit, hunting by aid of a motor vehicle, locating wildlife by the aid of artificial light and hunting with illegal ammunition. Bishop's own department charged him with reckless endangerment. Each charge could result in less than a year in jail if Bishop is convicted. Fines for some of the charges start at about $250.

Officers confiscated Bishop's truck, lights and all the guns in the vehicle, including a shotgun. The sheriff's office, game wardens and Huntsville, Owens Cross Roads and Gurley police assisted in the chase.