A felon on parole was arrested on a felony warrant late Wednesday stemming from allegations he fled in a vehicle from Hot Springs police earlier this month and then fled on foot after wrecking, injuring his passenger.
Jeremiah James Blair, 40, who lists a Malvern address, was taken into custody shortly after 10 p.m. in the 100 block of Kassman Terrace and charged with a felony count of fleeing in a vehicle, punishable by up to six years in prison.
Blair remained in custody Thursday on a zero bond parole hold and is set to appear today in Garland County District Court. He was previously convicted on Sept. 7, 2018, in Hot Spring County of possession of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia and sentenced to eight years in prison, but later paroled. He was also previously convicted in Garland County on Aug. 5, 2014, for residential burglary and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Sept. 1, around 9:15 p.m., Officer Tyree Sampson saw a red 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup with one headlight out and made a traffic stop on it on East Grand Avenue, near Exit 1.
He made contact with the driver, identified as Blair, who handed him his driver's license and a bill of sale for the truck. Sampson ran a computer check and discovered Blair had a warrant for a parole violation.
Sampson said he was walking back toward Blair's truck to get the name of a female passenger with him and was "halfway between" his unit and the truck when Blair allegedly put the truck in drive and fled headed east.
Sampson ran back to his unit and radioed the situation as Blair turned onto Exit 2, traveling down the southbound service road of East Grand and continuing past Chaucer Street at 70 mph. The vehicle continued past Millcreek Road at speeds over 75 mph and soon reached 80 mph as the vehicle suddenly turned left and headed north on Kelton Street.
As Sampson came around the big curve in about the 200 block of Kelton, he saw "dust in the air and headlights pointing back toward the roadway." As he got closer, he discovered the truck was flipped upside down in a ditch.
Blair exited the truck and ran up the ditch toward Sampson at first. Then he allegedly refused commands to stop and ran back down through the ditch and into the nearby woods. Other officers responded and set up a perimeter around the area, but Blair could not be located that night.
The female passenger was transported to a local hospital for injuries to her head and neck. A warrant was later issued for Blair's arrest.