SUMMERDALE, Ala. — A vehicle pursuit of a suspect wanted by federal marshals that led through a sod field and across a soybean field resulted in the loss of approximately $35,000 for the Summerdale Police Department when a patrol car caught fire and burned.

According to Police Chief Dwain Riebeling, the patrol car went up in flames after Elberta and Summerdale officers started pursuing John Heath Carter of Woerner Road in Elberta on foot.

Police Chief Mickey Pledger of Elberta said his department received a tip that Carter would be visiting at a home in the area. Three Elberta officers attempted to stop the 27-year-old Carter after he left the house on Sunday evening, Pledger said. Carter eventually led the Elberta officers, who were joined by Summerdale police, on a chase that ended when Carter’s vehicle struck a utility pole. Carter is alleged to have gotten out of his vehicle and ran. The officers, pulling in behind Carter’s vehicle, left their vehicles and gave chase on foot.

Again, according to Riebeling, Summerdale officer Ray Farmer looked back and saw white smoke billowing around his patrol car. He returned to the car and opened the door to find the interior filled with smoke.

“Basically, what I figured happened was that the catalytic converter was hot and it melted the fuel line and set dead grass under the car on fire,” Riebeling said this week. He noted the car was left running at the point officers initiated the foot chase. Following the vehicle pursuit, Riebeling said the catalytic converter was probably hot and melted the fuel line.

Besides the patrol car, a video camera, radar unit and laptop were among other items lost when the car, which was a total loss, burned. A rifle that Farmer got out of the car when the foot pursuit ensued was the only item that didn’t burn, Riebeling said. While he is still waiting on the cost of two more items lost in the fire, Riebeling put the total loss at approximately $35,000.

Farmer and Elberta officer Brandon Thompson were treated for smoke inhalation and released.

According to Pledger, he called his officers out of the woods once it started getting dark. As it turned out, Carter was arrested later in the day when officers found him trying to catch a ride.

Carter was booked into the Baldwin County Corrections Center on Monday. He remained in jail as of Tuesday. A $5,000 bond has been set on a using a false identity to obstruct justice charge, but no bond has been set on a second-degree manufacturing a controlled substance charge.

Riebeling said federal marshals were earlier looking for Carter on a manufacturing crystal meth charge and federal charges out of Florida.