HARRISONBURG, VA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Virginia, Western), published as received.
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A wanted fugitive out of Maryland, who led police on a high-speed car chase on Interstate 81 before crashing into the median, pled guilty yesterday to federal drug and gun charges.
Corey Frances Potter, 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to one count of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, in February 2026, Potter was a known fugitive traveling north on Interstate 81 from Roanoke, Virginia, towards Winchester, Virginia. When Potter entered Rockingham County, Virginia, law enforcement pulled behind the defendant’s vehicle and turned on their lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop.
Rather than pull over, Potter sped up to evade law enforcement, eventually hitting a tractor trailer’s front tire, spinning out, striking a pick-up truck, and rolling over into the median.
Law enforcement retrieved various items from the crash scene, including a backpack that belonged to Potter, which contained two firearms, various magazines, and significant amounts of ammunition. Law enforcement also found inside the vehicle approximately 13.7 ounces of cocaine, bags of white pills, another firearm, $14,755, and a fraudulent Drug Enforcement Administration.
Potter’s criminal history shows that he was convicted in 2015 of two felony charges in Pennsylvania, both involving fleeing from, or attempting to elude, law enforcement.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia State Police investigated the case with assistance from the City of Roanoke Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Scheff is prosecuting the case.
