At approximately 1:06 pm, Paragould Emergency Services was notified that Dunklin County was in pursuit of a white Jeep Compass and it had entered Greene County from the Clay County line on Hwy 139 near Mounds.
Dispatch was advised that the driver was wanted for multiple felony warrants, including felony fleeing.
As our units were responding to assist, the suspect vehicle began taking county roads, effectively cutting across to Hwy 49 north of Paragould. Once the pursuit reached just north of Paragould, Dunklin County terminated the pursuit. A Paragould PD unit spotted the vehicle near Glen Sain Ford and began following the suspect vehicle at a distance until other units arrived in the area and to also prevent a pursuit initiating in the center of town. The suspect vehicle continued southbound at near normal speeds. When the suspect vehicle approached the stop light at Hwy 49 South and the 412 Bypass, units with Paragould PD, this department, and the Arkansas State Police converged on the suspect vehicle. The suspect was quickly taken into custody without incident.
Thankfully, no local units were required to engage in a pursuit.
Of note, Greene County Tech High School held class changes for a few minutes as the high school School Resource Officer monitored the progress of the incident. Once it was known that the suspect had been taken into custody before getting to the high school area, classes immediately resumed to normal. At no point was anyone in danger at the school, and classes were only held until this matter was clear from the immediate area of the campus.
The alleged offender, identified as Joel Hancock, age 50 of Kennett, Missouri, will be held in our detention center until an extradition hearing is conducted.
– Sheriff Brad Snyder