Suspects lead police in chase over land, sea

Houstonist appreciates a good car chase, so you can imagine our excitement when we heard about the chase in Conroe early Wednesday morning that went off-road — and into a lake. It started just after 5 a.m., when an officer responding to a call at a Conroe restaurant noticed a "suspicious pickup" parked near a Cingular wireless store along the way. The officer heard an alarm coming from the store and saw two suspects leave the store and jump in the truck; they took off and the officer went after them. The suspects headed north on Longmire Road, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph. When they reached the end of the road, they didn't give up — instead, they crashed through a fence and kept on going:

The men drove about 200 to 300 yards through the field before driving off a bulkhead and into Lake Conroe. The pickup started to sink approximately 50 feet from shore. The suspects managed to escape the truck and swam for safety. Conroe police officers were able to apprehend the men when they swam to shore.

The two men, 51-year-old Gary Wayne Boyd and 47-year-old Ron Dale Murray, were charged with the burglary at the Cingular store as well as other burglaries at Traditions Grill and Wing Stop; police say they're suspected in the thefts of cash registers and alcohol from several other businesses around Conroe and Willis over the past week.