Bryant man arrested on multiple charges after fleeing from police in truck, on foot
A Bryant man who fled from
Hot Springs police Friday after allegedly stealing a phone was soon facing multiple felony charges after other stolen items, including guns, were reportedly found.
Harvey Gene Brady, 38, who was convicted of felony theft last year in Saline County, was taken into custody around 1:30 p.m. Friday and charged with three counts of theft by receiving of a firearm, three counts of possession of a firearm by certain persons, possession of a controlled substance, meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to six years in prison, and two counts of theft by receiving and one count of fleeing in a vehicle, misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail.
Brady was being held on bonds totaling $100,000 and appeared Monday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 10 a.m. Friday, a break-in to a vehicle was reported in the 900 block of E. Grand Avenue in which a cellphone was taken. The victim attempted to track his phone using the “find my iPhone application” and tracked it to Pak Plaza Pawn Shop, 3601 Central Ave.
The victim went to the pawnshop shortly after 11:30 a.m. and confronted a man, later identified as Brady, inside the shop. Brady reportedly fled the scene before police could arrive in a gray Ford F-150 truck. The victim told officers he was continuing to track his stolen phone, which was showing up in the 400 block of Golf Links Road.
Sgt. Kirk Zaner and Officer 1st Class Jason Crump located the truck, occupied by Brady, and attempted to get out with him, but he sped away into the trailer park at 400 Golf Links. After a short pursuit, he abandoned the truck and fled on foot into the woods. He was found again on Clearwater Street and taken into custody without incident.
A 9-mm handgun was located in the vicinity of Brady and in searching Brady’s person officers allegedly found 1 gram of meth and a meth pipe. Inside the abandoned truck, officers reportedly found a guitar,
.410 shotgun and a .22-caliber rifle, which were all determined to be stolen in a burglary in Traskwood on Oct. 23.
Detective Scott Lampinen responded to Pak Plaza Pawn where he learned Brady had left a Yeti cooler behind when he fled the shop. It was determined the cooler was stolen in a break-in at Shannon Hills earlier on Friday.
Detective Phillip DeFoor interviewed Brady after his arrest and asked if he knew why he was in custody and he reportedly said, “Because I ran,” and declined to answer further questions.
• A local man was arrested Sunday night after he was reportedly caught driving a stolen car.
Alexis Dewayne Gant, 38, who lists a Spring Street address, was taken into custody shortly before 8 p.m. and charged with theft of property over $1,000, punishable by up to six years in prison. Gant had been free on
$9,000 bond from a Feb. 7, 2018, arrest on felony drug charges which was revoked after his arrest Sunday.
Gant was being held on bonds totaling $14,000 and appeared Monday in district court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, around 7 p.m. Sunday, Officer Taylor Werst spotted a silver Ford Taurus with damage to the front fender traveling south on Higdon Ferry Road and recalled that it matched the description of one reported stolen Wednesday.
He was able to get behind it and confirm the license plate as the stolen vehicle and made a traffic stop on it in the 100 block of Crawford Street. The driver, identified as Gant, told him the owner of the vehicle had let him use it.
During an interview after his arrest, Gant reportedly said on Wednesday he had been approached by a male named Chris who wanted to buy drugs. He said he told Chris he might be able to help him out and the two of them “drove around town most of the day.” He said Chris allowed him to start driving the car at one point.
Gant said he later dropped Chris off at a friend’s house and when Gant came back on Thursday to pick Chris up, he was gone and would not answer his calls. He said he had been using the Taurus ever since.