A Eureka Springs man was among four people arrested by Carroll County sheriff’s deputies after a high-speed chase that stretched from Berryville to Blue Eye on Saturday, July 29, and left two patrol vehicles damaged.
Jeffrey Christopher Lewis, 25, of Eureka Springs was arrested along with Skyeanne Elizabeth Taylor, 22, of Green Forest; and Dillion James Carpenter, 31, and Ricky Wayne Myers, 43, both of Berryville.
According to a probable cause affidavit written by Carroll County Sheriff’s Office deputy Anthony Scotti, he was driving northbound on Hailey Road in Berryville as he approached the intersection of Hailey Road and County Road 601 when he saw a gray Chevrolet pickup eastbound on 601.
Scotti writes that he saw that the driver, later identified as Myers, and the frontseat passenger, later identified as Taylor, weren’t wearing seat belts. After checking the truck’s license plate, Scotti learned that Lewis was the registered owner and confirmed that Lewis had an outstanding warrant, the affidavit says.
Scotti writes in the affidavit that he turned on his lights and siren but the truck did not slow down, instead accelerating to speeds in excess of 80 mph in a 45 mph zone. The eastbound truck moved into the westbound lane and forced oncoming vehicles off the road, the affidavit said. The truck then turned onto County Road 617 before running a stop sign and turning northbound on Arkansas Highway 103 North, according to the affidavit.
A patrol vehicle driven by deputy Hunter Brantley then joined the pursuit, which continued northbound on 103 at speeds exceeding 90 mph in a 55 mph zone, Scotti’s affidavit says. The truck then turned down County Road 625, then ran through another stop sign and turned north onto Arkansas Highway 311, the affidavit says.
Scotti writes that as the pursuit approached County Road 311, the truck “repeatedly brake-checked” him and almost caused him to run into it from behind. The truck then continued in the opposite lane of traffic going up a blind hill and forced a Dodge pickup pulling a boat to drive off the road to prevent a head-on collision, the affidavit says.
CCSO deputy Terry Plumlee joined the pursuit at County Road 630 and the truck continued northbound before turning right and traveling northbound in Blue Eye, Scotti writes.
Deputies with the Barry County (Mo.) Sheriff’s Office had placed spike strips on the Blue Eye square, the affidavit says. The driver of the truck saw the spike strips and stopped abruptly, according to the affidavit, causing Scotti’s patrol car to collide with the rear of the truck.
Scotti writes that he turned left onto the Blue Eye square to get in front of the truck in hopes of stopping it but was unable to do so. The truck turned southbound onto College Avenue and then turned again, southbound on Arkansas Highway 21 North, the affidavit says. Scotti then positioned his car in the southbound lane with the truck in the northbound lane. The truck made an abrupt lane change to avoid a northbound vehicle and struck the side of Scotti’s patrol car, causing severe damage to the patrol car, the affidavit says.
Brantley attempted to get in front of the truck, but when Brantley accelerated in the southbound lane, the truck cut him off and forced him to brake hard, according to the affidavit. Brantley then accelerated again in the northbound lane and the truck attempted to cut him off again, the affidavit says. The truck then swerved and made contact with the front passenger side of Brantley’s patrol vehicle, which caused the truck to spin counterclockwise before rolling and coming to rest on its passenger side, Scotti writes.
Scotti used his baton to break the back rear window of the truck and all four occupants of the truck were helped out of the truck and placed in handcuffs the affidavit says.
After a tow truck flipped the truck over, deputies searched it, the affidavit says. During the search, deputies found methamphetamine, marijuana wax, marijuana and a smoking device containing methamphetamine residue, according to the affidavit.
Lewis, Carpenter and Myers were transported to the Carroll County Detention Center in Berryville, while Taylor was taken by ambulance to Mercy hospital in Berryville to be evaluated for injuries. She was cleared there and then taken to the county jail.
According to Scotti’s affadavit, Lewis, Taylor and Carpenter all were charged with felony counts of possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with physical evidence, along with a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance. Taylor also was cited for no seat belt while Carpenter was cited for possession of an open container and placed on a seven-day hold for a parole violation.
Myers, the driver, was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault along with felony counts of fleeing, possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with physical evidence and a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance. He was cited for driving on a suspended license, no liability insurance, no seat belt, reckless driving, driving left of center, illegal passing and failure to stop or yield.
All four suspects appeared Monday, July 31, in Carroll County District Court, where District Judge Dale Ramsey found probable cause to charge them.
Ramsey set bond at $150,000 for Myers and $10,000 for Lewis. He ordered that Carpenter and Taylor be released on their own recognizance.
All four suspects are scheduled to appear in Carroll County Circuit Court at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 21, in Berryville.
