ArkansasPoliceActivity

On 1/18/2023 at approximately 4:49 p.m., I initiated a traffic stop on a black Chrysler 300 near the 3 mile marker eastbound for following too closely to a tractor-trailer in front of it and improper use of a turn signal. I made contact with the driver, Enrique Porras, and told him who I was and why I stopped him. I asked him what brought him through Arkansas, and he told me he was going to Nashville, TN. He told me the car was a rental, and I asked for the rental agreement, and he handed it to me along with his driver’s license, which was out of Illinois. The rental agreement showed he rented the car in Oklahoma City, OK. He told me he was going on a job hunt. I asked him why he rented the car in Oklahoma City if he is from Illinois. He told me he started his job hunt in Illinois. I asked him how he got to Oklahoma City, and he said he flew there. He quickly changed his story and said he flew to Dallas, TX first. I asked him how he got to Oklahoma City. He told me his brother gave him a ride to Oklahoma City for a job interview. He told me he was on his way to Nashville for another job interview. I asked him how long he planned on staying in Nashville, and he told me not very long. I asked him what kind of job he was looking for. He said he was looking for a job in insurance. I then asked him to step out of the vehicle to speak with me. Mr. Porras' first reaction was to get in my back seat which is where prisoners are kept. I thought that was interesting because all I said was hang out right over there beside my car. I told him he could stand at my passenger window if he would like. I asked if he knew where he was going to look for a job, and his reply was he specialized in State Farm. It was confusing what he meant by he specialized in State Farm, so I asked if he worked for State Farm. He said, “Currently I did work for State Farm.” He continued to tell me he had to leave them because he wasn’t properly getting paid his commission. I asked if all he had was the suitcase located behind the passenger seat. He told me, “Yeah.” I asked if he had anything in the trunk. He said no. I asked him if he put anything back there, and he said, “In what?” I noticed his body language change when I asked if anything was in the trunk. He looked at the trunk and said no. I asked if it was empty, and he said it should be. I was trying to recap his story to him and asked him “So, you flew to Dallas?,” and he said yes and began to tell me it was a long story. Mr. Porras began to tell me a whole other reason for needing money and having troubles with his marriage. Also, while he was recapping this story. his voice got extremely quiet, and even began mumbling some of his words. After speaking with Mr. Porras, I asked him if he minded opening his trunk. He denied consent, and I called for a canine unit to assist. Trp. Tanner Middlecoff arrived to assist. Trp. Middlecoff ran his canine around the vehicle, and the canine alerted to the odor of narcotics inside the vehicle. I searched the vehicle and located multiple large trash bags containing 80 vacuum-sealed bundles of suspected marijuana inside with an approximate weight of 80 lbs. and a street value of $160,000. Mr. Porras was placed under arrest. Agent XXXX XXXXXXX with the 12th Judicial Drug Task Force was given the evidence. For Further information refer to DTF case file 2023-121. Charges: Poss. w/ purpose to deliver sch. VI 25-100 lbs Poss. drug paraphernalia Following too closely Signals for turning, stopping, or decreasing speed required (Improper use of turn signal)

On 3/4/2023 at approximately 15:31 hours, I was on routine patrol on I-40 Eastbound when I observed a black Chevrolet Suburban bearing Missouri license plate# EJ7H4Y. I observed the vehicle change lanes from the left lane to the right lane failing to use a turn signal. I initiated my emergency equipment, conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle on I-40 Eastbound at the 176 mile marker, and made contact with the driver of the vehicle (later identified as Henry Miller. Upon making contact with Miller, I identified myself as an Arkansas State Trooper, and advised him why he had been stopped. Miller stated that the reason that he had not used his turn signal was because he was on the phone. Then asked Miller for his driver’s license and vehicle information. Miller provided me with his driver’s license and stated that the vehicle was a rental car. Miller also stated that he had rented the vehicle in Tulsa, OK and had an electronic copy of the rental agreement on his phone. I then had Miller exit the vehicle and come to the front on my patrol unit so that he could show me a digital copy of the rental agreement on his phone. After Miller exited the vehicle I asked him where he was coming from and where he was traveling to. Miller stated that he was coming from Tulsa, OK and was traveling to Atlanta, GA to visit a friend. While standing in front of my patrol unit, I noticed that Miller seemed to be extremely nervous (his hands were shaking, he wouldn’t make eye contact with me, and his breathing was heavy and labored). I asked Miller why he was so nervous and he stated that he was just stressed out and that he had been drinking a lot of coffee. I then asked Miller if there was anything illegal inside of his vehicle and Miller stated “No there isn’t”. I also asked Miller if everything inside of the vehicle belonged to him and he stated “Yes”. As a result of Miller’s extreme nervousness, I asked him for consent to search his vehicle, and Miller stated “I’d rather you not”. I advised Miller that I had a narcotics detector canine and that I was going to deploy him to conduct a free air sniff of the exterior of his vehicle. I also advised Miller that if the canine alerted to the odor of narcotics, that I would have probable cause to search his vehicle. After speaking with Miller, I advised to stand on the shoulder of the roadway so I could conduct the canine sniff. I then deployed my narcotics detector canine “Raptor” to conduct a sniff of the exterior of the vehicle. During the sniff, “Raptor” indicated to the odor of narcotics. After the sniff was complete, I advised Miller that I was going to conduct a probable cause search of his vehicle. I also asked Miller if he wanted to be honest about what he had inside of the vehicle, and Miller stated “I’ve got Cannabis”. I then asked Miller how much marijuana was inside of his vehicle and he stated “I think there’s 25 pounds”. I then took Miller into custody, advised him of his Miranda Rights, and secured him in the rear of my patrol unit. Once Miller was secured in the rear of my patrol unit, I conducted a search of the interior of his vehicle. While searching the interior vehicle I located (2) large gray suitcases and (2) large black plastic totes in the rear cargo area of the vehicle. Upon opening the suitcases and plastic totes, I observed numerous vacuum sealed packages containing suspected marijuana (approximately 42 pounds in total weight). Rich’s Wrecker Service was contacted and later arrived on scene to tow Miller’s vehicle to the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office so that the suspected marijuana could be removed from the vehicle. Miller was transported to the Lonoke County Jail for booking where he was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance with Purpose to Deliver and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The suspected marijuana that was located inside of the vehicle was secured as evidence and turned over to Agent Paul Hofstad with the 17th Judicial Drug Task Force. Miller had $3,991.00 in U.S. Currency on his person at the time of his arrest that he stated was provided to him as “travel money” by the people he was transporting the suspected marijuana for. This U.S. Currency was seized from Miller and deposited into the Arkansas State Police Asset Forfeiture Account at Centennial Bank. Miller was provided with a copy of the seizure form.

The Conway Police Department called into State Police that they were in pursuit of a 2015 black Ford Mustang that was stolen from their city. Conway PD and the stolen vehicle merged on I-40 west and requested help from the State Police. Conway PD lost sight of the vehicle at the 117 mile marker and called the pursuit off. The State Police, Conway County Sheriff’s Department, and the Morrilton Police Department were set up in various locations waiting for the vehicle. A Highway Police officer saw it pass the 111 mile marker. The operator of the Mustang took exit 107 in Morrilton and drove north on State Highway 95. The Troop J Sergeant on duty (J-5) saw the vehicle take the exit and called in that he was now in pursuit of the vehicle. J-5 lost sight of the Mustang near Lake Overcup on State Highway 95. After a period of time, the stolen Mustang appeared in Morrilton near Walmart, and Morrilton PD called in and they were now pursuing the vehicle. They merged onto I-40 and drove west. I was set up across from the 94 exit at an abandoned Taco Bell in Atkins on State Highway 105. The operator of the Mustang took exit 94 and drove north on State Highway 105. At approximately 6:03 pm I told dispatch I was now the lead vehicle in the pursuit. We turned left onto State Highway 124 and drove west. We reached speeds exceeding 120 miles per hour. The operator of the mustang was driving reckless, swerving, and driving left of center. We turned left onto Upper Pine Ridge Rd and traveled east. We turned right onto Lower Pine Hill Rd. While in pursuit on this road the suspect locked up his brakes, and I was unable to stop in time. The front of my unit collided with the rear of the suspect vehicle. We came to a T intersection at the end of the road (Lower Pine Hill Rd and State Highway 326 junction) where the suspect locked up his brakes again, and I wasn’t able to stop in time. The front of my unit collided with the rear of the suspect vehicle. Both impacts were minor, and there was little to no damage to the rear of the suspect vehicle. J-30 was set up at the end of the road to the east on State Highway 326. The operator of the Mustang turned right and attempted to travel west on State Highway 326. J-30 executed a PIT maneuver. The operator of the Mustang lost control of the vehicle, before he could regain control, I made a lawful intentional intervention of the vehicle. I pinned the vehicle in a ditch with the front of my patrol unit. The front of my unit collided with the driver’s side door, disabling the Mustang and ending the pursuit. We had the suspect in custody and he was asked “was it worth it”. He replied nonchalantly that he was going to jail anyways and figured why not keep going. He would never have the opportunity to drive a car like that again.

OFFICERS OBSERVED VEHICLE 1 TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON WOODROW STREET. VEHICLE 1 SHOWED TO BE STOLEN OUT OF THE LITTLE ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT. OFFICERS ATTEMPTED TO CONDUCT A TRAFFIC STOP ON VEHICLE 1 AT THE LISTED LOCATION. THE VEHICLE PULLED INTO THE LOCATION, BEFORE FLEEING WESTBOUND ON 12TH STREET. OFFICERS INITIATED A VEHICLE PURSUIT. OFFICERS PURSUED THE VEHICLE WESTBOUND ON 12TH STREET. OFFICERS REQUESTED THE ASSISTANCE OF ARKANSAS STATE POLICE. DURING THE VEHICLE PURSUIT, VEHICLE 1 STRUCK VEHICLE 3 ON THE DRIVER SIDE AT 11TH STREET AND FAIR PARK AVENUE. THE PURSUIT CONTINUED EASTBOUND ON INTERSTATE-630. ARKANSAS STATE POLICE ASSISTED OFFICERS IN THE VEHICLE PURSUIT. VEHICLE 1 TOOK THE BROADWAY STREET EXIT AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. VEHICLE 1 BLEW THROUGH THE RED LIGHT AT BROADWAY AND INTERSTATE-630 INTERSECTION AND STRUCK THE DRIVER SIDE OF VEHICLE 2. OFFICERS MADE CONTACT WITH DAMION GUNNELLS STUCK IN THE FRONT WINDOW OF VEHICLE 1 AND MADE CONTACT WITH SKYLAH PLEASANTS ON THE GROUND JUST NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION. OFFICERS OBSERVED WHAT APPEARED TO BE BOTH OF MR. GUNNELLS LEGS WERE BROKEN. OFFICERS OBSERVED LARGE LACERATIONS TO MS. PLEASANTS LEGS, AND LACERATION TO HER HANDS AND FACE. IT WAS BELIEVED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT; MS. PLEASANTS WAS EJECTED FROM THE PASSENGER FRONT WINDOW OF THE VEHICLE. MEMS(39) TRANSPORTED MR. GUNNELLS TO BAPTIST HEALTH HOSPITAL. MEMS(618) TRANSPORTED MS. PLEASANTS TO UAMS HOSPITAL. OFFICERS FOLLOWED UP WITH ANDRE BARBER AT 11TH STREET AND FAIR PARK BLVD FOR THE ACCIDENT TO HIS VEHICLE. SEE INCIDENT NUMBER 2023-070117 FOR FURTHER. OFFICERS RESPONDED TO UAMS FOR A FOLLOW UP ON MS. PLEASANTS. OFFICERS THEN RESPONDED TO BAPTIST HOSPITAL TO STAY WITH MR. GUNNELLS. DURING THE PURSUIT OFFICERS OBSERVED MR. GUNNELLS THROW A FIREARM OUT OF THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW ON INTERSTATE-630. OFFICERS RECOVERED THE FIREARM, IT SHOWED TO BE STOLEN OUT OF NORTH LITTLE ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT (2023-338558). OFFICERS RAN MR. GUNNELLS THROUGH COMMUNICATIONS WHO ADVISED MR. GUNNELLS SHOWED TO HAVE WARRANTS OUT OF THE US MARSHAL'S OFFICE (230905020721B), BALD KNOB POLICE DEPARTMENT (WR211069), FAULKNER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (61324557), MAYFLOWER POLICE DEPARTMENT (MX22252), BRYANT POLICE DEPARTMENT (WR23728), AND NORTH LITTLE ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT (NL23801). MR. GUNNELLS WILL BE SERVED THE WARRANTS UPON HIS RELEASE FROM BAPTIST HOSPITAL. COMMUNICATIONS ADVISED MR. GUNNELLS SHOWED TO BE A CONVICTED FELON ALONG WITH HAVING A SUSPENDED DRIVER'S LICENSE. MR. GUNNELLS WAS CHARGED WITH BATTERY 1ST DEGREE, POSSESSION OF A FIREARM BY A CERTAIN PERSON, FLEEING, THEFT BY RECEIVING X2, TAMPERING WITH PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, RECKLESS DRIVING, DRIVING ON A SUSPENDED LICENSE, AND NO SEATBELT

***OFFICERS RESPONDED TO THE LISTED LOCATION IN RELATION TO A CHECK CONDITION OF SUBJECT CALL. OFFICERS ARRIVED ON SCENE AND OBSERVED A STALLED GREY BMW OBSTRUCTING TRAFFIC ON WRIGHT AVE GOING EAST BOUND. OFFICERS MADE CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER WHO WAS INCOHERENT AND APPEARED TO BE DAZED. DAVIS WAS NOT ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND QUICKLY BECAME AGGRESSIVE. OFFICERS COULD SMELL A HEAVY ODOR OF INTOXICANTS COMING FROM DAVIS'S PERSONS. WHEN OFFICERS ASKED DAVIS TO GET OUT OF THE DRIVER SEAT DAVIS WAS UNSTABLE AND NEEDED ASSISTANT GETTING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. OFFICERS PLACED DAVIS IN THE BACK OF THE PATROL VEHICLE DUE TO HER NOT BEING ABLE TO SAFELY STAND ON HER OWN. OFFICERS WENT TO SECURE THE VEHICLE AND OBSERVED AN OPEN CONTAINER OF ALCOHOL ON THE FLOORBOARD OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. OFFICERS PLACED DAVIS UNDER ARREST FOR DWI AND TRANSPORTED DAVIS TO PCRJ. WHILE AT PCRJ OFFICERS READ DAVIS THE ARKANSAS STATE OF RIGHTS BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO ADMINISTER THE BAC TEST. DAVIS REFUSED TO TAKE THE TEST. DAVIS WAS CHARGED WITH DWI, RECKLESS DRIVING, REFUSAL TO SUBMIT TO THE CHEMICAL TEST, AND OPEN CONTAINER. BWC/MVR IN USE.***

On Sunday, January 8, 2023, at approximately 1:00am, Faulkner County Sheriff's Deputies initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Mr. Michael "Scotty" Helton. Mr. Helton fled, beginning a high-speed pursuit throughout the county and city limits of Conway. Faulkner County Sheriff's Office and Conway Police Department pursued the suspect, who fired a weapon on officers out of the driver's side of the vehicle during the pursuit. Arkansas State Police joined the pursuit in Conway. As Mr. Helton began driving toward Mayflower, Arkansas State Police and Mayflower Police Department deployed spike strips on State Highway 89. With deflated tires, Mr. Helton reached the intersection of State Highway 89 and Interstate 40, where he struck a concrete curb, causing the vehicle to come to rest. At this time, Mr. Helton brandished a gun, leading three State Troopers and one Mayflower Police Officer to fire their service weapons. Troopers attempted to render medical aid, but Mr. Helton succumbed to his injuries on scene.

***North Little Rock PD Police Report: https://1drv.ms/b/s!ArdKSx-P9UMfmGqfKCFccYRbq6yD?e=w7t8Lm***

Full Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrprRkbHmy0&t=237s

***This video highlight Compilation is dedicated to Arkansas State Trooper Jacob Byrd. May GOD always bless you and your family Sir.***

Arkansas State Trooper PIT's wrong way driver who refused to stop. Taser deployment and assistance from a Fed Ex truck driver during the arrest engagement.