Driver arrested for felony fleeing
A reportedly intoxicated driver was arrested Thursday evening on multiple charges after allegedly leading Hot Springs police on a pursuit through the city after fleeing an accident, finally ending at his residence.
Willie James Holliman, 67, of
301 Main St., was taken into custody at his residence around
6:45 p.m. and charged with felony counts of fleeing in a vehicle and leaving the scene of an injury accident, each punishable by up to six years in prison, and misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated, first offense, resisting arrest, refusal to submit, driving on a suspended driver’s license, careless and prohibited driving and failure to yield at an intersection.
Holliman, who also had a warrant for failure to appear, was being held on bonds totaling $5,500 and was set to appear Friday morning in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable
cause affidavit, around 6:30 p.m., Officer Richard Davis spotted a gold Buick Rendezvous traveling south in the 300 block of Central Avenue downtown and noted it matched the description of a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run injury accident earlier.
He activated his lights to make a traffic stop, but the driver, later identified as Holliman, refused to stop and continued onto Court Street headed westbound. At the intersection of Court and Exchange Street, Davis activated his siren, but Holliman continued onto Prospect Avenue without stopping, headed west.
The pursuit continued until Holliman finally stopped in front of 301 Main St., a distance of about two miles from Prospect. Davis notes that during the pursuit Holliman was “driving reckless, failed to yield at multiple intersections, almost causing multiple collisions with other motorists.”
After he finally stopped, Holliman exited the vehicle and allegedly continued to resist arrest so officers were forced to take him to the ground and forcefully place him into handcuffs.
Davis noted a smell of intoxicants on Holliman’s breath and that he had watery eyes and slurred speech. He was transported to the Garland County Detention Center where he reportedly refused to sign a rights form or provide a breath sample for testing.