Justin Spires (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff)
A Mountain Home man is being held in the Baxter County Detention Center after he allegedly led authorities on a high-speed chase Friday night. Twenty-nine-year-old Justin Spires is facing a felony count of fleeing by vehicle, a misdemeanor count of reckless driving and a number of other traffic offenses.
According to Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery, a deputy attempted to stop a vehicle for traffic violations on Arkansas Highway 5 South in the area of Tracy Ferry Road. The driver reportedly refused to stop, and a pursuit was initiated.
The driver allegedly fled north on Highway 5 at speeds of approximately 80 miles per hour. He then pulled into a mobile home park, turned around and traveled in the opposite direction on the highway at moderate-to-high speed. The pursuit continued through Salesville and Norfork and went on toward Izard County. The vehicle was reportedly being driven in a reckless manner and not remaining in its lane.
At approximately 9, the driver entered Izard County, with the deputy still pursuing. A short time later, the driver again managed to turn around and return to Baxter County. Spike strips were unsuccessfully deployed ahead of the vehicle, but the driver did reportedly slow down. The driver continued through Norfork and Salesville. At approximately 9:16, he ran off the roadway into a tree line near Deer Park Street. The driver and a passenger exited the vehicle and were quickly taken into custody. The passenger was not charged.
The driver, identified as Spires, also had outstanding warrants for failure to appear and failure to pay fines, and he is facing a probation violation. He remains in custody in lieu of a bond of $13,220, and he is being held without bond on the probation violation. Spires has several prior arrests involving fleeing from police.
Spires is set to appear in Baxter County Circuit Court.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI