Law enforcement officers chased a man through Denton and Grayson counties Tuesday before he ran out of gas in northern Cooke County, according to a Denton County sheriff’s report.

Sheriff’s spokesman Tom Reedy said the department received a call at about 4:40 p.m. Tuesday from someone worried about a 9-year-old child. A man had left an apartment on Teasley Lane in Denton with the child. The caller said the man, a convicted felon, had a handgun and had ingested heroin, Reedy said.

The man was headed to an address in Little Elm, and the sheriff’s office notified Little Elm police to be on the lookout for him.

A Little Elm officer spotted the car on FM720 and tried to stop the driver, who fled. At some point he dropped off the child, but police were not aware of that at the time.

Sheriff’s deputies and Texas Highway Patrol troopers joined the chase, which went from Little Elm to Frisco, back to Little Elm and west on U.S. Highway 380, driving in and out of a corn field on that leg of the trip.

The driver then drove north on U.S. Highway 377 through Grayson County and finally stopped in Cooke County on County Road 3164 east of Lake Kiowa, where the car ran out of gas.

The driver would not get out of the vehicle, and held a gun to his own head, according to Reedy. The driver spoke to someone on his cellphone and finally exited the vehicle at about 7:15 p.m.

Stacy Brandon West, 34, of Flower Mound was taken to Denton County Jail and charged with evading arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, aggravated assault against a public servant and endangerment of a child through criminal negligence. He remained in custody Wednesday. Bond had not been set.

According to county records, West has a lengthy record of felonies including several cases of aggravated assault.

Reedy said that during the chase West broke numerous traffic laws and caused a minor accident at FM423 and Panther Creek. He swerved at two places where deputies were putting down road spikes.

One deputy suffered an injured wrist while taking evasive action to keep from being struck.

Other reports

Hercules at Stuart streets — A 14-year-old boy told police Tuesday that a man in a teal car offered him $100 to have sex with him.

The boy said he was walking on the sidewalk when the man drove slowly by, looking at him. The boy was frightened and crossed the street.

The man drove by again and stopped. He said the boy could “win” $100 by having sex with him. The boy said no.

The man persisted, saying that he liked teenage boys. He said he lived nearby and would bring the boy back afterward. The boy still refused and ran away.

An officer searched the area and found a car matching the description. He turned the case over to detectives, who are investigating.

1900 block of Bernard Street — An 88-year-old, bedridden paraplegic man reported that he has been cheated out of more than $500 in a scam.

The man said he received a letter from a “research center” offering to find his “luck number” so he could win the lottery.

After he sent the first $45, he was deluged with more than 100 other letters asking for more money. By the time he had sent $500, he looked on the Internet and discovered that center was a scam, according to the report.

Roundup

From 7 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday:

• Denton police responded to 327 service and officer-initiated calls, including three thefts, six reports of fraud, two cases of criminal mischief, one building burglary, one deceased person, two assaults, three cases of possession of drug paraphernalia, one home burglary, one report of enticing a child, two vehicle burglaries, one failure to identify as a fugitive and one runaway.

• Denton County sheriff’s dispatchers handled 249 service and officer-initiated calls for the agencies they serve. Thirty-four people were booked into county jail.

Deputies took reports of one vehicle burglary, one criminal mischief, one theft and one overdose, and participated in one pursuit.

• Denton firefighters responded to 23 medical calls, one traffic accident, one gas leak and three requests to assist an invalid.

Krum firefighters responded to two medical calls, one request for mutual aid and one grassfire.

Sanger firefighters responded to one medical call and two grassfires.

Pilot Point firefighters responded to one smoke investigation.

Lake Cities firefighters responded to one smoke investigation, one medical call, one request to unlock a vehicle and one fire.

Argyle firefighters responded to one traffic accident.

Ponder firefighters responded to one medical call.

Oak Point firefighters responded to one medical call.

Aubrey firefighters responded to one medical call.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .

Denton County Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in these or other crimes. Callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477). To receive crime alerts in your area, visit www.CrimeWeb.net .