A joint release from the Mountain Home Police Department and the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, indicates 56-year-old Rory Gregory of Mountain Home has been charged with felony offenses of first degree criminal attempted battery involving a law enforcement officer, second degree criminal attempted murder, first degree criminal mischief, impairing the operation of a vital public facility, and aggravated assault. He has also been charged with reckless driving and as an habitutal offender.
The charges stem from an afternoon of mayhem that began when an off duty Baxter County Reserve Deputy traveling south on Highway 201 near Shipp’s Ferry Road called 911 after observing a small silver car behind him run off the right side of the highway and re-enter the road. A short distance later, the silver car passed him, side swiping the left side of his vehicle. The vehicle continued south on Hwy. 201 passing a dump truck on a double yellow line.
A sheriff’s deputy responding to the incident met Gregory’s car traveling 68 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone. While in pursuit of Gregory, the deputy observed he failed to stop at the intersection of County Road 69 and Highway 5. His vehicle fled reaching speeds over 80 mph, passing numerous cars on double yellow line. As it approached the intersection of Highway 5 and Cardinal Drive, a second sheriff’s deputy positioned his marked patrol car in the north bound lane at the intersection and deployed a spike strip in the south bound lane. A Mountain Home Police Officer positioned his marked patrol vehicle just behind the deputy’s vehicle. An Arkansas State Police Special Agent positioned his vehicle in the south bound traffic lane just north of the intersection stopping all south bound traffic. Prior to reaching the spike strip, Gregory’s vehicle made a sharp right turn exiting the highway. The Mountain Home Police Officer standing on the shoulder of the highway had to take evasive action by jumping out of the way of the vehicle to avoid being struck, with it coming within inches of him.The vehicle continued through a small field and re-entered the roadway on Cardinal Drive. Several officers continued the pursuit, with the vehicle passing numerous vehicles and running two stop signs before making a left turn onto Sanford Lane. It continued on Sanford Lane reaching US Highway 62 B, disregarding the red light, turning left onto U.S. 62 B, continuing west bound on U.S. 62 B, before making a right turn onto North Street. Gregory then made a left turn onto College Street before turning right back onto U.S. 62 B. The vehicle traveled along U.S. 62 B and then made a right turn onto State Highway 5 North traveling north. His vehicle passed numerous vehicles in the center turn lane and continued north bound on State Highway 5. It then made a left turn through the Pioneer Propane parking lot, re-entered the roadway on Broadmoor Drive, before making an immediate left turn onto Broadmoor Circle and continuing on Bordeaux Drive and onto Long Street.
The vehicle then made a left turn into the Baxter Regional Medical Center Medical Arts parking access road. Baxter County Sheriffs Office Sergeant Brad Hurst approaching from the opposite direction with his blue emergency lights on, observed the silver car approaching his vehicle. Sergeant Hurst saw the fleeing vehicle was attempting to hit his vehicle and took evasive actions. Sergeant Hurst attempted to steer his vehicle away from the approaching vehicle and then brought his unmarked vehicle to a complete stop. According to the affidavit, the fleeing vehicle purposely swerved to his left and struck the right front of Hurst vehicle. This disabled the police vehicle but the suspect vehicle continued to exit the parking area.
Gregory’s vehicle made a right turn onto Hospital Drive, then immediately made a right turn into Baxter Regional Medical Center Emergency Center circle drive. The vehicle then made a left turn into the pedestrian walkway, nearly striking a pedestrian and a parked vehicle as a patient being released from the hospital was being loaded into the parked vehicle. The pursuit continued through the pedestrian walkway sideswiping a metal handrail. The vehicle drove through two sets of double glass doors, continuing an additional 16 feet before nearly striking a pedestrian inside the Emergency Center lobby.
Three Mountain Home Police Department Officers approached, knocking out the windows, reaching in and disabling the vehicle. Additional officers arrived, but the driver, Gregory, refused to obey the officers’ commands, continuing to resist. Gregory was physically removed from the vehicle, continuing to fight officers. A Police Officer deployed his taser by drive stunning Gregory in his back. Gregory continued to fight, and a Sheriff’s Deputy deployed his taser by shooting probes into his back. The suspect was then able to be handcuffed, taken into the emergency room for treatment and was released into custody shortly after. Gregory had been released from the Arkansas Department of Correction in April and is currently on active parole with the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections.
Gregory is a career criminal dating back to 1978. His active parole status is for an incident in 2014 for which he negotiated a guilty plea for resisting arrest, criminal mischief, theft of property, fleeing, and second degree battery.
He is being held without bond.
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