UPDATE: Preliminary hearing set for car chase suspects that injured officer

UPDATE: Jan. 3 5 p.m.

By Nate Morabito  ll  11CONNECTS

We learned today that a Washington County, Tenn. Sheriff's deputy hit by a car while trying to stop three suspects involved in a chase faces a long and difficult recovery.

Deputy Gary Daugherty received numerous injuries when he was hit yesterday while trying to deploy stop sticks.

The man investigators say hit him Dalvin Stephens and two others made their first appearances today in a Jonesborough courtroom.

The judge set Stephens’ bond at two $201,000.  He is charged with attempted first degree murder, robbery and evading arrest.  Reginald smith and Ashley McGraw are charged as accessories.  Smith's bond was set at $160,000.  While McGraw’s is $75,000.

During court today Judge Robert Lincoln read the affidavit that described what happened to officer Daugherty when he was hit by the car.

"Officer Daughtery was thrown into the air, completely spinning his body vertically 360 degrees, and landed approximately 77 feet from the point of impact,” read Lincoln.

Stephens, smith and McGraw will all be back in court on Jan. 12..

Deputy Daugherty remains in stable condition tonight.  We expected to hear from him today concerning the crash and his recovery.  The hospital scheduled a noon press conference and then later cancelled it, saying the officer was still too emotional to talk to the reporters.

He went through surgery last night and has another surgery scheduled for Thursday.

After hearing the latest details of the crash, it's amazing to think he even survived the wreck.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office says Daugherty was near a guardrail yesterday when the car struck him.

The force of impact catapulted Daugherty’s head into the windshield.  It then completely flipped him in the air.  Eventually, Daugherty violently landed here, roughly 77 feet away.

Two dashboard cameras captured the horrifying scene play out, but at the district attorney's office request, the sheriff is not releasing those videos.

Captain mark page says if you saw the video for the first time with no previous knowledge of the case, you'd think there was no way the deputy could've survived.

"It's when you, if you ever get to see it, it's bad, i mean i cried when i saw it, it's bad,” said page.

Investigators say the man who hit Daugherty yesterday during a police chase swerved into the oncoming lane of traffic to avoid hitting spike strips and instead slammed into the deputy.

Daugherty is a seven-year veteran of the sheriff's office.

He is the father of two and according to his Facebook page, a retired Marine.

From the graphic nature of the dash-cams I’m not even sure we would've aired much of the videos had we got our hands on them.  Still, it's worth asking.

What is the district attorney's office reasoning for holding on to them?

Assistant District Attorney Dennis brooks says ethically, it wouldn't be right to release those videos to us.

He says if potential jurors saw what was on those tapes, it could enflame the jury pool, which could force prosecutors to try this case outside of Washington County.

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UPDATE:

Three people are behind bars after a car hit a sheriff's deputy during a police chase.

Washington County, Tennessee Deputy Gary Daugherty was setting out a line of spikes to stop a car chase when he was hit on Highway 81 South at around 11 am.

Deputies later arrested Dalvin Stephens and charged him with attempted first degree murder. Investigators say he was driving the car and fled the scene.

Stephens along with Reginald Smith and Ashley McGraw also face charges of robbery, evading arrest, and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries.

“He's in surgery right now,” said Sheriff Ed Graybeal around 4:30 pm, who added that Daugherty was following protocol. “We think everything is going to be fine. He does have quite a few injuries.”

Daugherty suffered a broken arm and some compound fractures.

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Washington Co. Sheriff's deputy Gary Daugherty was laying down a spike strip near Charlie Hoss Road when he was hit by a red Chevy Cavalier that was being chased by Washington Co. Sheriff's deputies on Hwy. 81 South.

The chase began with a reported armed robbery in the 300 block of Sand Valley Road.

Officer Daugherty was brought to the hospital with a broken arm and possible compound fractures.

The red Cavalier later crashed in the 2300 block of Hwy. 81.

Three people ran from the vehicle - two men and one woman. Deputies caught them and have all three in custody.

Officer Daugherty has been on the force between 7-8 years and has 2 children.

Hear more from Melissa Hipolit's report at 5 p.m. by clicking play on the video above.