A Harviell man led area law enforcement agencies on a high-speed chase through three counties and two states Friday night and Saturday morning before being taken into custody.
Garland Leon Trice Jr., 39, is in the Butler County jail facing numerous traffic violations, according to police officials.
At 11:30 p.m. Saturday, a Poplar Bluff police officer saw a white passenger car on Hucks’ parking lot with truck license plates from 2013. When the officer tried to make contact, the alleged suspect put his vehicle in drive and left the lot heading south, turning west on Maud Street and ran a stop sign as he turned onto Roxie Road.
He allegedly ran the stoplight at Roxie and Shelby roads as he turned left onto County Road 465 traveling at speeds up to 70 miles an hour. According to reports, the suspect came back to Business 67 running another stop sign and turning southbound onto the highway. He next turned onto County Road 321 traveling south onto Highway 158 and running a stop sign.
Allegedly, the suspect next turned south on Highway BB and onto Country Road 352 and went around a 90 degree curve losing control and spun around 180 degrees.
One Poplar Bluff police officer stopped next to the vehicle and another stopped in front of him. He allegedly was trying to fit his vehicle between the two police units. When he was given a command to stop and show his hands, he allegedly placed the vehicle in reverse, turned around and continued to flee. Traveling on county roads, he returned to Highway 67 where he allegedly ran a stop sign and continued onto Highway MM and County Road 373. He continued on county roads until he entered Ripley County and using public roads entered Naylor.
He traveled east on Highway 142 continuing County roads 275 and 274 running stop signs and turned south onto Highway 67 and crossed the state line.
When Poplar Bluff officers terminated the pursuit at the state line he allegedly had been driving 70 miles an hour and had run a total of nine stop signs, one stop light and passed multiple vehicles while in Butler County.
Clay County, Arkansas Sheriff’s deputies continued the pursuit. Clay County chased the vehicle back into Missouri. During the pursuit the vehicle hit a spiked stripper, according to reports.
Trice was taken into custody by the Missouri Highway Patrol on Highway N, south of Highway 142. They turned him over to PBPD and the Ripley County law enforcement officers took possession of the vehicle.
According to reports, when officers questioned Trice about why he ran, he said, “I got scared and took off.”
They asked why he went into Arkansas, he said he was trying to get to his mother’s house in Corning.
He is being held of suspicion of resisting arrest by fleeing, creating risk of serious physical injury or death, failure to yield to emergency vehicles sounding sirens and displaying lights, failure to observe traffic control device, failure to stop at stop signs, exceeding posted speed limit by 26 miles per hour or more, careless or imprudent driving and driving while revoked or suspended.