A Harrison man is in the Ozark County Jail after leading authorities on a multi-county high-speed pursuit on his motorcycle that began in Harrison. Twenty-seven-year-old Logan Johnson is facing multiple charges and citations in Arkansas and Missouri following the chase.
According to the incident report from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson began running from the Arkansas State Police in Harrison on Friday. He is reportedly on active parole in Arkansas and has active warrants from the sheriff’s offices in Searcy and Madison counties and the Bentonville Police Department.
A Mountain Home officer picked up the pursuit around 11:15 Friday night, nearly a half hour after Johnson allegedly ran from the state police, when he spotted the motorcycle with no license plate. The officer requested assistance from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, as the chase was on U.S. Highway 62B and going toward Walmart.
The motorcycle later turned onto the Sheid-Hopper Bypass. A pair of deputies turned onto Club Boulevard, and another went to the west end of the bypass. The deputies were soon advised the motorcycle changed its direction and traveled back toward Walmart. It turned back on Highway 62B, passed several vehicles in the turn lane, traveled at 109 miles per hour and ran the red light at the College Street intersection.
While going through the intersection at Highway 62B and Arkansas Highway 5 North, the motorcycle crossed over all traffic lanes and traveled in the outside opposite lane down Main Street. It then proceeded in the wrong direction of a one-way street and turned left onto Ninth Street.
The motorcycle soon turned left and returned to the eastbound lanes of the bypass. Johnson allegedly picked up speed and then hit the brakes on three or four occasions in an attempt to cause the deputy to crash his patrol vehicle.
The motorcycle returned to Highway 62B. When it got to the intersection with Highway 5 North, it reportedly crossed into the parking lot of the Exxon and continued onto Highway 5. The motorcycle was still crossing the center line on several occasions as it headed toward Missouri.
In a probable cause statement, an Ozark County deputy says he was notified by dispatch of the pursuit on Missouri Highway 5 traveling toward U.S. Highway 160. The deputy says he positioned himself at Highway 5 and Missouri Route T. When he saw the motorcycle and the patrol vehicles, he put his vehicle in position, but the motorcycle was able to pass him.
The chase continued as the motorcycle turned right onto Highway 160. It reversed its direction and began traveling toward Theodosia. The motorcycle’s speed slowed down and it began to leak fluids onto the roadway. It slammed into a patrol vehicle, and the driver was ejected from the motorcycle and landed in a nearby field. The chase continued on foot, and a Baxter County deputy injured his ankle in the process. The driver was eventually captured, positively identified as Johnson and transported to the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office to await a waiver of extradition.
Johnson’s Baxter County charges include felony fleeing, speeding, driving on a revoked license, illegal passing, disregarding a stop sign, failure to stop at a red light, reckless driving, no motorcycle license, driving left of center, no proof of liability insurance, failure to register a motor vehicle and reckless driving. In Ozark County, he faces felony counts of resisting/fleeing and operating without a valid driver’s license and additional citations of careless and imprudent driving, driving on right of highway, no license plate displayed, speeding, failure to use a turn signal, peace disturbance and leaving the scene of an accident.
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