Wednesday June 23rd at 11:10pm Deputy Blake Liscomb of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office made a routine traffic stop at Hwy 62 and 1st street in Imboden. As the driver and passenger of a late 1990’s White Chevrolet pick up were being questioned for acting suspicious, the female passenger of the vehicle grabbed Officer Liscomb in an effort to allow the driver of the vehicle to escape. The driver of the truck then got back in his vehicle and fled from Officer Liscomb. Liscomb pursued the vehicle through town and east on Hwy 63 at a high rate of speed. Almost as soon as the chase began Officer Liscomb began to observe the suspect throwing things out of his vehicle at the Deputy.
The chase continued toward Black Rock at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Officers tried unsuccessfully to use spike strips to disable the vehicle at 11:14 pm, the vehicle then turned on Hwy 117 toward Smithville. At this time Sgt. Rocky Chappell joined the pursuit. The deputies noticed the suspect was throwing things out of the window and it was striking the deputies patrol vehicle, the items appeared to be drugs and were hitting the deputies windshields. The suspect also tossed out a backpack out that was recovered by Deputy Duston Walker. Once in Smithville, the suspect vehicle turned north on Hwy 115 back toward Imboden. The chase was joined by a third Lawrence County Deputy, Officer Duston Walker. The driver continued to throw what appeared to be drugs out the window as well as beer bottles.
As the chase went through Annieville, the suspect threw what appeared to be a large amount of money out the window as well. Deputies radioed ahead and the Ravenden Police and Arkansas State Police set up spike strips in front of the Sloan Hendrix Gym on Hwy 115. Shortly after the suspect ran over the spike strips as he entered the Imboden City Limits. The vehicle once again turned on Hwy 63 heading east toward Black Rock but wrecked out just outside of Imboden.
The suspect attempted to flee the wrecked vehicle once it came to rest, officers told the suspect he would be tased if he did not comply, which he did not, officers deployed tasers. The suspect was taken into custody. Dail’s Wrecker was called the scene to remove the vehicle. Once the suspect was in custody he was taken to the Lawrence County Jail and deputies started the long task of recovering all the evidence from the car chase. Deputies recovered a large amount of money from the roadside in Annieville, the backpack recovered by Officer Walker contained what appeared to be Marijuana, Meth, Sudafed, syringes and drug paraphernalia. Officers recovered the Drivers License and Insurance information from the roadside where the chase began. The vehicle once searched contained a large amount of cash, a handgun and what investigators are calling a large amount of “Ice†a type of methamphetamine. Deputies also recovered a large amount of Meth from the roadside, thrown out during the vehicle pursuit.
Officers worked until early morning, collecting evidence and statements. Formal charges are expected at a later date as well as the release of the suspects name, Sheriff Dotson stated the investigation is still ongoing. The female suspect was never captured. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Chief Glenn Smith of the Hoxie Police, Ravenden Police Department as well as the Arkansas State Police.
For more information on the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office visit their site at www.lawrencecountysheriffsoffice.com .
The photos show a variety of drugs and money found during the investigation of last nights drug bust,one photograph is of Officer Blake Liscomb’s windshield where the drugs thrown from the suspect vehicle left a white residue covering his patrol car. Other photos show drug paraphernalia as well as a handgun recovered from the suspect vehicle.