Police pursuit ends in arrests
Siloam Springs Police arrested five suspects from the Tulsa, Okla., area on April 14 after a high speed pursuit that led them to Decatur and reached speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Jerryron Montyz Steele, 20, of Tulsa, was arrested in connection with fleeing from police as well as the theft of clothing from the Fayetteville Academy Sports store, according to the affidavit for his arrest. Terrance Briggs, 18, of Tulsa, Yi’twan Gipson, 18, of Tulsa, Catherine Sullivan, 19, of Sand Springs, Okla., and a juvenile, who were all in the vehicle with Steele, were also arrested in connection with the theft
Chevrolet Equinox with an expired tag, the affidavit states.
Ware observed the vehicle change lanes from the inside lane to the outside lane, failing to use the turn signal, the affidavit states. Ware made a U-turn and attempted to catch up to the vehicle, which was traveling at a high rate of line multiple times while traveling northbound and then quickly changing back into the right lanes, nearly hitting oncoming traffic, the affidavit states.
The pursuit continued on Highway 59 into Gentry, where the driver ran the red light at the intersection
of Arkansas Highway 59 and Arkansas Highway 12 as Gentry Police stopped east and westbound traffic, the affidavit states.
After the highway changed to two lanes, the vehicle continued to travel at speeds in excess of 100 mph, straddling the solid yellow line as oncoming vehicles pulled into the grass, the affidavit states. The vehicle traveled northbound in the southbound lane several times between Gentry and Decatur, straight towards oncoming vehicles, reaching a top speed of 124 mph, it states.
When the vehicle approached Decatur, the Decatur
Police Department deployed stop sticks in order to bring the pursuit to a stop, the affidavit states. Ware observed the vehicle approach the stop
sticks at approximately 100
mph and continue on at speeds of more than
112 mph, the affidavit states.
After entering Decatur, the vehicle struck two Arkansas Highway Department signs on the east side of Highway 59, before leaving the roadway at the intersection of
Highway 59, East Main Street
and 3rd Street, striking a sign
for the Decatur United Methodist Church, the affidavit states. The vehicle continued traveling northbound and struck a wooden bridge in front of the church while colliding with a culvert, the affidavit states.
Gentry Police Department officers assisted in detaining the five occupants of the ve
hicle and Northwest Medical medics came to evaluate injuries, the affidavit states.
Ware discovered multiple items of clothing, valued at $7,295, with tags and security devices still attached inside the vehicle, the affidavit states.
Briggs told police all the individuals entered Academy Sports, grabbed a large amount of clothing and
exited the store, placing the
items in their vehicle, the affidavit states. Briggs said all of the property located in the vehicle would be stolen and no one attempted to pay for any of the items, the affidavit states.
Ware contacted the Fayetteville Police Department and was put in touch with a representative from the Academy Sports store in that city, the affidavit states. The representative informed Ware there was a theft at his
store at approximately 5:48
p.m., the affidavit states.
Briggs and Gipson were transported to the Benton County Jail without incident, the affidavit states. The juvenile, Steele and Sullivan were transported to Siloam Springs Regional Hospital, according to Captain Derek Spicer. Sullivan sustained multiple broken ribs from the accident, the affidavit states. Steele and Sullivan were taken to the Benton County Jail and the juvenile was released with a citation to her mother, the affidavit states.
On Monday, Steele was
being held in the Benton County Jail with a total of $40,000 in bonds and a list of 15 charges, including felony charges of fleeing, theft by receiving, breaking or entering and theft of property, according to jail records.
On Monday, Briggs was
being held in the Benton County Jail with a total of $11,000 in bonds on felony charges of theft by receiving, breaking or entering, and theft of property, according to jail records. Gipson was being held on a total of $25,000 in bonds on felony charges of theft by receiving, breaking or entering and theft of property, jail records state. Sullivan was released Saturday on a $10,000 bond, according to court documents.