Police: Florida man admitted choking woman found in car after chase in Kentucky

A Florida man admitted he choked a woman whose body was found in the back of his vehicle after a high-speed pursuit on Interstate 75, according to a Kentucky State Police citation.

David Maurice Reed, 54, of St. Petersburg, is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, as well as several charges related to the chase that covered about 40 miles through three counties.

Those charges include four counts of wanton endangerment of a police officer for allegedly hitting state police cruisers with his Lincoln SUV.

The chase happened Wednesday morning after a trooper stopped Reed’s vehicle for weaving on I-75 in Madison County.

Reed pulled over, but then sped off after officers got out of their cruisers to approach his vehicle, according to a citation.

Reed drove at speeds over 120 miles per hour during the case south on I-75.

Police tried several times to put spike strips out to flatten his tires before officers from the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office succeeded in flattening his two front tires with the strips, according to a citation.

Reed hit a state police cruiser after that and continued driving for a time on two wheel rims before coming in contact with three state police cars and finally stopping, state police said in a citation.

Police found the body of a woman in a plastic tote in the hatch area of Reed’s vehicle and later identified her as Rachel L. Carder, 53, of Huntington, W.V., according to a news release.

Carder had trauma to her face and wounds “consistent with injury inflicted by an edged weapon,” and Reed had red stains on his pants that were believed to be blood, police said in a citation.

Reed admitted getting into a physical fight with the woman and choking her, the citation said.

Reed said that happened in a room at a motel close to the interstate, but couldn’t tell police which one.

Reed had his initial court appearance Friday. District Judge John Paul Chappell set his bond at $1 million cash and scheduled a preliminary hearing for him next week, according to the office of Laurel Circuit Clerk Roger Schott.