Regional Roundup: Police Chase Ends in Rollover Crash, Barrow County Looking for Missing Man, and DNA Testing Links Prisoner to Two Rapes

– Douglasville Patch

Two unidentified men are in the hospital and will face stolen vehicle and other charges after they attempted to elude the  Wednesday afternoon.

Shortly after 1 p.m., Douglasville Police were notified of a felony alcohol shoplifting at a local package store. An officer spotted the suspect vehicle a short time later and a chase ensued. The driver eventually lost control of the vehicle and the car left the road, went airborne and flipped over.

The driver and the passenger attempted to flee but the driver had a broken leg. He was taken to Grady Hospital and the other man was taken to Douglas Wellstar Hospital.

The vehicle is suspected of being stolen from DeKalb County. The suspects are facing charges of felony shoplifting, vehicle theft, attempting to elude a police officer and other traffic violations.

-- Barrow Patch

The is asking for the public's assistance in locating a man last seen Monday, March 19, 2012.

James Gunter Sr., 51, was last seen about 4:30 p.m. Monday walking on Freeman Johnson Road toward Ga. Highway 211. Family members contacted the sheriff’s office shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 20. Following a search of the area in which he was last seen, deputies have been unable to locate the man.

Gunter may be wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, white tennis shoes and a blue baseball hat. He is described as a white male, 5 feet, 1 inch tall, weighing approximately 130 pounds. He has brown eyes and graying brown hair.  

Any person who has seen or heard from Gunter since Wednesday, March 21, is asked contact Barrow County Central Communications immediately by calling 770-307-3122.

– Norcross Patch

A 27-year-old man has been linked to two Norcross-area rape incidents, according to a press release from the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Detectives were able to narrow down the suspect, Jerson Antonio Gomez, through a DNA "hit" on CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System. DNA samples from the two incidents were collected and submitted to the GBI Crime Lab, and they ended up matching Gomez's DNA.

Gomez's warrant charges include kidnapping and rape in the first case and burglary, rape, false imprisonment and robbery in the second case.

The suspect was already in custody at the Robert Deyton Federal Detention Facility in Lovejoy, Ga., and had been there since 2010. He was also charged with similar crimes in Emerson, Ga.