GRAVETTE -- Gravette Police, on Monday, recovered a stolen pickup truck and arrested the driver and passenger on numerous charges.
At approximately 12:30 a.m. Monday, Officer Bryan Smith, near Arkansas Highway 72 and Fourth Avenue, S.W., attempted to stop a white Ford pickup truck for not having license plates. When Smith activated his emergency lights, the vehicle continued south on Fourth Avenue to Birmingham Street, where it turned west after running a stop sign. The vehicle stopped after traveling approximately 100 yards on Birmingham Street. But when Officer Smith attempted to walk up to the truck, the truck was driven away and turned onto Dallas Street, S.W., where it traveled at a high rate of speed and hit several mailboxes, small trees and telephone boxes. The truck then turned onto Leonard Road. After travelling approximately one mile on Leonard Road, the vehicle left the roadway, ran through a fence and came to rest in a field.
Two males, later identified as Kendall Toller and Tony Bridges, exited the truck and began running on foot into the woods. Officer Smith caught Bridges after a short foot pursuit.
A short time later, police learned the pickup truck had been reported as stolen in Rogers shortly before the pursuit and that a relative of the owner of the vehicle lived on Leonard Road.
Officers went to the residence on Leonard Road and found Kendall Toller sitting on the front porch. Toller was identified as the driver and was taken into custody by officers of the Gravette Police Department and Benton County Sheriff's Office. He was then transported to the Benton County Jail and his parole officer was contacted.
Toller, 20, was charged with minor in possession, reckless driving, leaving the scene of accident (four counts), fleeing with extreme indifference (a Class D felony), possession of controlled substance, speeding, failure to obey a stop sign (six counts), and driving on a suspended license for DWI. Toller was being held in the Benton County Jail without bond due to the fleeing charge and a parole revocation.
Bridges, 19, was charged with fleeing on foot, minor in possession of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident. Bridges was cited and released pending a court date of Dec. 3 in Benton County West District Court.
General News on 11/05/2014