The driver of a vehicle that fled from Hot Springs police late Tuesday, prompting a high-speed pursuit, was still being sought Wednesday, but a passenger who stayed in the vehicle was arrested on multiple felony charges.
Aaron Dwain Smith, a felon, 56, who lists a Pond Street address, was taken into custody shortly before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and charged with possession of a firearm by certain persons, theft by receiving of a firearm, possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to six years in prison.
Smith, who also had two misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear, was being held on $11,000 bond and was set to appear Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday, Sgt. LeeAnn Zaner made a traffic stop on a black and red Chevrolet Camaro at Garland and Linwood avenues for careless and prohibited driving and asked the male driver, who was known to police, to turn off the engine.
At that point, the driver sped away, turning onto Rector Street and then to Second Street at a high rate of speed. He continued on Greenwood Avenue to Third Street to Garland Street where he turned off his headlights in an attempt to evade police. He turned onto Summer Street and then Hobson Avenue, driving down the middle of the road and passing cars on a double yellow line "putting them in extreme danger."
He then proceeded onto Lacey Street to Wood Street to Mason Street and back to Hobson, "hitting speeds of 80 mph." At one point, he appeared to turn in the direction of Zaner at the intersection of Hobson and Granite Street, forcing Zaner to reverse out of the way, causing damage that disabled her unit.
The driver made an abrupt turn back onto Lacey Street and drove into a vacant field at Lacey and Noles Street, where he jumped out and fled on foot.
As the driver got out, Officer Chris Chapin saw something fall to the floorboard of the vehicle. The driver attempted to retrieve the item before he left but was unable. He fled west into a wooded area and was unable to be located.
Cpl. Joey Williams told The Sentinel-Record Wednesday that multiple warrants have been issued for the driver.
The passenger, identified as Smith, remained in the vehicle and was taken into custody after the warrants were confirmed. The affidavit notes Smith complied to all the officer's commands and was arrested without incident.
While clearing the car, Chapin saw in plain view in the driver's side floorboard was a Ruger 9-mm pistol which was found to have been reported stolen, an unopened bundle of lottery tickets and a towel.
Also in plain view behind the passenger side seat was a large glass jar with 79.6 grams of marijuana and two boxes of sandwich bags. On the center console, a set of digital scales was found.
The affidavit notes Smith was convicted of felony counts of theft by receiving and possession of a firearm by certain persons in 1991 in Pine Bluff and possession of a firearm by certain persons in 2009 in Garland County.
Local on 04/23/2020