CHESTERVILLE — A local man lost control of the car he was driving Saturday night near Dutch Gap and Zion’s Hill roads and it went into a ditch and struck a tree, Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said Monday.

Adam Phillips, 19, of Chesterville was the driver of the Chevrolet Cavalier, he said. It was unknown Monday morning if Phillips was injured.

Deputy Colt Sleaster was patrolling on Pope Road, which turns into Dutch Gap Road, and noticed a vehicle with a loud exhaust. He turned the cruiser around to go after the car and it accelerated to 70 mph in a 50-mile per hour zone, Nichols said. At one point the car reached 98 mph in a 45 mph zone, he said.

Sleaster lost sight of the car until he was near the intersection of the Dutch Gap Zion’s Hill roads and saw it had gone into a ditch and struck a tree, Nichols said.

The accident was reported at 10:02 p.m. and remains under investigation, he said.

Phillips was given a citation on a charge of not wearing a seat belt, he said.

dperry@sunjournal.com