Oklahoma man flees police, faces multiple felony charges
HOT SPRINGS — An Oklahoma man reportedly hunting for his ex-girlfriend was arrested on multiple felony charges Saturday morning after fleeing from Hot Springs police in a vehicle where an explosive device was later found in the trunk, according to police.
Jeffery Latroy Love, 32, who lists a Lawton, Okla., address, was taken into custody shortly before 10:30 a.m. and charged with criminal possession of explosives and possession of meth with purpose to deliver, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison; felony fleeing, punishable by up to 10 years; possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver; first-degree criminal mischief; and violation of a no-contact order, each punishable by up to six years.
Love was also charged with misdemeanor counts of fleeing on foot, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia and was cited for careless and prohibited driving, two counts of failure to stop at a red light, driving left of center, improper lane change, no seat belt and no proof of insurance.
Love was being held on zero bond. The affidavit notes he was previously convicted of a violation of a protection order in Oklahoma on April 25.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday, Hot Springs Police Department Cpl. Tyler Ward responded to a residence on Oakwood Street regarding threats made and spoke to a woman, 36, who stated she had recently fled with her child from her ex-boyfriend, identified as Love, in Oklahoma after being battered by him.
She said that morning she began receiving Snapchat messages from him on a new account, stating he was in Hot Springs and “looking for her.” She noted she had not had contact with him since she left Oklahoma and she didn’t know how he knew she was in Hot Springs. She showed Ward proof she had blocked Love on multiple social media platforms and had an active order of protection against him.
While Ward was there, the woman received a message claiming to be from Love which she opened and it showed a photo of a slot machine with an Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort label. Due to Snapchat not allowing old messages to open, Ward could not access previous messages sent but could see that Love had messaged the woman multiple times that day.
Ward got a description of Love’s vehicle, a 2012 Buick LaCrosse, and notified other officers who reportedly found it parked and unoccupied at Oaklawn, 2705 Central Ave., and confirmed it was registered to Love out of Oklahoma.
Officers set up a perimeter around the vehicle and waited for Love to leave the casino area “due to his criminal history” and because the woman had noted Love “potentially had an explosive device with him.” Shortly after 10 a.m., Officer Donaldo Tobar alerted other units after seeing Love get in the vehicle and drive toward Oaklawn’s Central Avenue exit.
Tobar initiated a traffic stop on Love, who pulled into a parking space on the west side of Sonic, 3000 Central Ave., and exited the car. Love was given “multiple commands” to submit to arrest but refused, got back in the car, yelled, “I’m leaving!” to officers and sped away. He “ramped a short concrete wall” and then drove through the grass to take the Central exit from Sonic and fled southbound.
According to police, Love drove “at a high rate of speed, weaving in and out of traffic and disregarding traffic control devices.” Due to the speed he was going, officers briefly lost sight of the car, but located it moments later at the entrance to Boardwalk Village, 3812 Central Ave., where it was abandoned with the front passenger tire “fully disabled.”
A small crowd had gathered and was pointing down the alley between Harbor Freight Tools, 3818 Central Ave., and the businesses in Boardwalk Village. Officers pursued Love on foot into a wooded area off Files Road where he continued to ignore commands to stop. He was finally taken to the ground and it reportedly took three Hot Springs police officers and an Arkansas State Police trooper to place him in custody.
Meanwhile, Tobar began a search of Love’s vehicle and found a bag inside a cigarette pack containing 0.5 grams of what later tested positive for meth and a glass pipe.
As officers were searching the trunk, a device with “white tape, a fuse and a metal plate” was located under the spare tire cover. Since the ex-girlfriend had stated Love “previously made bombs” and she had witnessed him in possession of one recently, officers were told to move away from the vehicle.
Tobar then requested the department’s explosives trained K-9 officer to respond to the scene with the Hot Springs Fire Department staged nearby. Since the car was approximately three feet from Central Avenue and “traffic was very heavy,” officers shut down southbound traffic in that area.
Fire Chief Ed Davis was notified and he responded to the scene and reportedly confirmed it was “a legitimate explosive device” so agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were called in. The agents conducted an X-ray of the device and also confirmed it to be a legitimate homemade explosive, which they removed and confiscated.
Directly outside the vehicle, on the passenger side, officers located another baggie with 7 grams of what later tested positive for meth and a bag with 20 grams of marijuana. Witnesses said they saw Love stop near a dumpster while fleeing on foot. Officers checked that area and reportedly located another bag with approximately 22 grams of marijuana.
While police officer Blake Forga was transporting Love to jail, Love began kicking the cage, window and door inside the unit, causing damage to the unit to the point the rear passenger door “would no longer open,” resulting in the additional criminal mischief charge.