Three suspects are in custody Friday after leading police on a long and winding chase through Dallas County
By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
MANNING, Arkansas — Two law enforcement agencies combined forces on a snowy morning in Dallas County to locate a trio of suspects who led deputies on a 30-mile chase along state Highway 8.
By Friday afternoon police had not released the identities of the suspects, who are in custody at the Dallas County Jail. Two of the men list Arkadelphia addresses.
Just after midnight Thursday, Dallas County authorities attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle near the junction of U.S. 79 and Highway 8. The driver fled, ending the vehicle pursuit just east of Manning. At some point after losing police, the three suspects — allegedly transporting a pound-sized quantity of marijuana and several firearms — abandoned the vehicle and spent the pre-dawn hours hiding out in the woods.
Authorities from Arkadelphia were called in for assistance after 7 a.m. and joined their Dallas County counterparts in search of the suspects, Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson said.
After 9 a.m. dispatchers received a 911 call from a resident at 6307 Highway 8, west of Manning, reporting a knock at the door and suspects trying to enter. The suspects were greeted at the door with a shotgun pointed at them, Dallas County Sheriff Mike Knoedl told arkadelphian.com.
Police responded to that location and began piloting a pair of drones in search of the suspects, who had fled on foot to the woods across the highway.
Use of the drones proved successful in spotting the suspects. Knoedl said officers engaged in a “brief” standoff with the trio. One of the suspects, reportedly carrying a backpack full of pistols and drugs, attempted to flee but was taken down with a Taser and a non-lethal pepper ball gun.
Charges are pending a decision from the Dallas County prosecuting attorney, but police charges are expected to include fleeing, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, and possession of stolen property, Knoedl said.
Knoedl took to social media after the arrests, posting this comment:
“I want to thank Sheriff Jason Watson, Arkadelphia Chief Jason “Shorty” Jackson, Officer John Shofer, Arkansas State Police, Clayton Ashcraft (drone operator), Arkansas Game & Fish, and Fordyce Police Department for their assistance in capturing these three fugitives who ran last night/morning. It was cold, wet, and snowing, but these guys never gave up the hunt. At approximately 9:15 one of these suspects beat on the door of a local resident of Manning and was greeted with a shotgun in his face. The resident contacted us and led us in the right direction to start looking again. The thermal imaging drone was launched, and the suspects were located west of the residence they had approached. Two teams of law enforcement officers entered the woods under the direction of the drone. I, Deputy Jordan Ables, Chief Shorty Jackson, and one of his officers had a brief standoff with two of the suspects while the third one began to flee toward the second team of officers. He was taken into custody after being tased and shot with a non-lethal pepper ball gun. This suspect had all of the weapons pictured below in a backpack. We know one of these weapons was stolen and another was equipped with a fully automatic switch on the Glock pistol. I can’t express how proud I am of the collaborative effort to take these dangerous individuals into custody without anyone getting hurt.”
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