By Cleve Wiese

Published: May 9, 2008

The Waynesboro man accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend in the head Wednesday morning before leading police on a brief car chase is facing four new charges in the incident, police say.
Sam Wesley Earhart, 42, was originally charged with eluding police, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving after having been declared a habitual offender, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, assaulting a police officer and refusing to take a breath test, police said.
Authorities now say the gold Plymouth Acclaim in which Earhart allegedly fled the crime scene belongs to the 42-year-old victim, also of Waynesboro. New charges against Earhart, filed yesterday, include unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, shooting in an occupied dwelling, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and malicious wounding.
Police responded to Quadrangle Apartments on Fourth Street Wednesday shortly after receiving a 9:25 a.m. call from the victim, who was covered in blood when authorities arrived, Waynesboro police Sgt. Brian Edwards said.
The victim was conscious and told police that Earhart, her former boyfriend, was intoxicated and armed, and had attacked her before fleeing in her car.
An officer spotted the vehicle on North Delphine Avenue near the Faber Street intersection, but Earhart refused to pull over, Edwards said. A brief chase ensued, as the suspect - driving erratically at speeds not exceeding 40 mph - continued north on Route 340 before turning onto Beagle Gap Run, a quiet residential street in a subdivision just outside city limits.
Earhart was eventually corned on Whippoorwill Way, a short cul-de-sac, but refused to comply with orders to show his hands and emerge from the car. Because the suspect was armed, police used a stun gun to apprehend him, Edwards said.
A loaded, recently fired .38-caliber handgun was found on the car’s passenger seat, police said. Earhart told police he had fired one shot in the victim’s living room, Edwards said.
The victim initially told police she had been struck in the back of the head with an unknown object, but doctors at Augusta Medical Center determined the wound was caused by a gunshot, police said. She was later transported the University of Virginia Medical Center in stable condition for further care and evaluation.
Earhart is being held in Middle River Regional Jail pending a bond hearing in a few days, police said.