The arrest was made on Saturday December 4, 1971 at 4:10pm with $4,000 (equal to $25,000 today) worth of illegal moonshine in the trunk and back seat.
Buddy, who normally races Mopar Hemis, was bootlegging in a Ford Cobra. It was reported that the factory 428 Cobra Jet engine had been replaced with a 429ci engine. Supposedly it was specially modified to run over 180mph and featured eleven extra springs and air shocks to handle the 2,000 pounds payload.
Officer Brown from Henry County and officer Parrish from Pittsylvania County were sitting at the county line near the corner of Rt58 and Pinewood when the blue Cobra, heading East, got their attention.
Buddy, who normally races Mopar Hemis, was bootlegging in a Ford Cobra. It was reported that the factory 428 Cobra Jet engine had been replaced with a 429ci engine. Supposedly it was specially modified to run over 180mph and featured eleven extra springs and air shocks to handle the 2,000 pounds payload.
Officer Brown from Henry County and officer Parrish from Pittsylvania County were sitting at the county line near the corner of Rt58 and Pinewood when the blue Cobra, heading East, got their attention.
With the officers in pursuit, Arrington and his wife continued down RT58 at a high rate of speed for 1.2 miles before turning South on RT 855. Officer Brown did not follow Arrington and instead continued down Route 58 to head Buddy off on Route 622.
"Wasn't no high-speed chase," says the arresting deputy, Melvin Brown, "I blocked the road, and Buddy was real polite in stopping. Buddy's a likeable fella, and I got nothing against him. 'Shine was a way of life back then. Heck before he died my dad made the stuff."
"Way he blocked the road, weren't but one thing to do and that was to hit him and probably kill him," Buddy Arrington says. "I had too much invested to be doing that. Anyway, he had his little kid with him, 7 years old. If he's gonna catch me for running 'shine, he shouldn't have no kid with him, I ain't never hurt nobody."
"If I hadn't been with Buddy that day," says his wife, Patsy, "that deputy never would have caught him. He wouldn't have known which way Buddy went."
Buddy was let go on a $500 bond.
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"Wasn't no high-speed chase," says the arresting deputy, Melvin Brown, "I blocked the road, and Buddy was real polite in stopping. Buddy's a likeable fella, and I got nothing against him. 'Shine was a way of life back then. Heck before he died my dad made the stuff."
"Way he blocked the road, weren't but one thing to do and that was to hit him and probably kill him," Buddy Arrington says. "I had too much invested to be doing that. Anyway, he had his little kid with him, 7 years old. If he's gonna catch me for running 'shine, he shouldn't have no kid with him, I ain't never hurt nobody."
"If I hadn't been with Buddy that day," says his wife, Patsy, "that deputy never would have caught him. He wouldn't have known which way Buddy went."
Buddy was let go on a $500 bond.
Never read this bit before. Thanks.
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