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Garry Dean Chavis

Gender : Male

Age : 50

Race : White

Date : 07/21/2025

Location : Lumber River boat ramp off Recreation Center Road

City : Maxton

County : Robeson

State : North Carolina

Agency : Robeson County Sheriff’s Office / Pembroke Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Drowned

Event : Drowned during police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On July 21, 2025, deputies attempted to stop a stolen Ford F-150 driven by Garry Dean Chavis in the Pine Street area of Pembroke, North Carolina. The driver led officers on a high-speed pursuit that continued onto Highway 710 and then Recreation Center Road in Maxton. The chase ended when Chavis’s truck drove off a boat ramp into the Lumber River.
Chavis exited the vehicle and attempted to swim to shore but was overpowered by the river current and swept downstream. Despite efforts by deputies and rescue personnel from multiple agencies, they were unable to save him. A female passenger was rescued alive from the submerged truck before it sank. Chavis’s body was recovered later. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been requested to conduct an independent investigation into the incident.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://wpde.com/news/local/police-lumber-river-gary-chavis-pembroke-woman-north-carolina-pine-street-drowning-swimming
https://www.wmbfnews.com/2025/07/21/deputies-nc-searching-suspect-who-jumped-into-river-after-stolen-car-chase/
https://www.wistv.com/2025/07/22/man-dies-after-driving-stolen-truck-into-north-carolina-river-amid-chase/