A young Tennessee man is in the Surry County Jail after he allegedly abducted his estranged wife and led officers on a high-speed chase through Mount Airy and the Sheltontown area.

“We had kind of a dangerous situation,” Capt. Richard Lowe of the Mount Airy Police Department said of the scenario that unfolded about 8:15 p.m. Monday.

Local law enforcement agencies had been advised by Tennessee authorities to be on the lookout for a silver Toyota Camry driven by a man who had kidnapped or abducted his wife and possibly was in this area.

Officer Carlos Garcia subsequently spotted the suspect vehicle on Rockford Street near Chili’s Restaurant “and it took off,” Lowe said.

The pursuit continued north along Rockford Street to Graves Street, where the suspect turned off Rockford and headed through downtown Mount Airy along Worth and Renfro streets and Independence Boulevard and eventually to East Pine Street (N.C. 103).

At that point the car sped toward Flat Rock, turning onto Quaker Road and progressing to Westfield Road, where the driver veered left and continued to flee.

Lowe said Mount Airy police maintained the pursuit into the county due to a felony situation being involved in which the life of the man’s estranged wife might have been in danger. Members of the N.C. Highway Patrol, who took over the chase once it entered the county, and Surry Sheriff’s Office also participated, with about seven vehicles involved in all.

Officers were able to deploy stop sticks on Westfield Road and “deflated all four tires on the car,” Lowe said. However, the Toyota kept proceeding for a short distance before officers converged on it, finding Amanda Stanley, 27, unharmed.

Allen Wayne Stanley II, 18, of Bristol, Tenn., was taken into custody and charged with felony aggravated kidnapping, felony speeding to elude arrest, violating a domestic-violence protection order which had been issued in Tennessee and aggressive driving.

Speeds reached 70 mph during the chase, which Lowe said might have been higher had the driver been more familiar with local roads. At times, it appeared Stanley did not know which way to go, which is one factor credited for his capture. “He may have been lost,” Lowe said.

The suspect is being held under a $100,000 secured bond in the Surry County Jail and is scheduled to appear in District Court on June 8.

Lowe said it is not known why the Tennessee man drove to this area.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.