VIDALIA — A routine traffic stop in Vidalia turned into a two-hour foot chase that resulted in a 24-charge arrest for a Concordia Parish man Thursday afternoon.

At 3:37 p.m., Vidalia Police Lt. Frank Duson tried to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Edwin M. Jackson Jr. on Martin Luther King Avenue near Carolina Street for excessive speed, improper lane use and passing in a no-passing zone, Vidalia Police Department Assistant Chief Bruce Wiley said.

But before the vehicle came to a stop, the officer observed the driver of the vehicle switching places with the passenger while traveling down Louisiana 131, and when the vehicle stopped near the highway’s intersection with Louisiana 3180, Jackson exited the vehicle and ran west, Wiley said.

VPD officers and Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputies reportedly pursued Jackson on foot, with police vehicles and an all-terrain vehicle through fields, wooded areas and the Eagle Road and Airport Road areas.

He was captured at approximately 5:40 p.m. and taken to the Vidalia Police Station for booking.

Jackson was charged with excessive speed, two counts improper lane usage, passing in a no passing zone, resisting an officer by flight, and 19 counts resisting an officer.

Vidalia Police Chief Arthur Lewis thanked all of the officers who were involved in the chase.

“This is what being in law enforcement is all about, coming together as a team to keep our community safe regardless of what department you are with,” he said.

Those involved in the chase included VPD’s Wiley, Duson, Capt. Tracy Linder, Sgt. Clint Robinson, Sgt. Jimmy Watts, Officer Neil Mohon, Officer Marcus Martin, Officer John Dale Loomis and Officer Toney Braley and the CPSO’s John Mitchell, Chris Groh, Chris Stricklin, Terry Thames, Dusty Lemoine, Stephen Karabelen, Greg Jackson, Phillip Smith and K-9 Officer Japp.