A report of a missing truck from an Ocie-area resident in Ozark County quickly took what Sheriff Darrin Reed described as an exciting turn when officers from his department engaged in a high-speed chase and also recovered a second vehicle allegedly stolen by the same suspect.The Ozark County Times reports Sheriff Reed said just before noon Saturday his office was notified of a one-ton truck with an attached trailer being stolen from a residence on OO Highway.
Reed said he was on his way to the residence, turning down OO Highway, when he looked to the right and saw a newer SUV back into a field area. Thinking it looked suspicious, he ran the license plate number. The report came back that the vehicle was stolen from Forsyth earlier that morning.
Reed met with the owner of the one-ton truck reported missing earlier. After alerting other departments to be on the lookout for the missing vehicle and waiting for a wrecker for the stolen vehicle from Forsyth, he received a call from Taney County sheriffs deputies advising they were in pursuit of the one-ton truck headed from Forsyth toward the Ozark County line.
Reed said his officers were set up at Mark Twain School, when the driver come in with the truck and large trailer. He said he thought the driver was going to broadside the officers on the sharp corner.
Somehow the truck and trailer missed the officers vehicle, and they pulled out in pursuit of the stolen rig, which reached speeds of 80 miles per hour down on Highway 160.
Reed said just as he approached OO Highway, he couldnt believe it, but the driver of the stolen one-ton truck turned and headed toward the vehicle owners house and where he had stashed the stolen SUV, as well.
Sheriff Reed said as soon as he went down OO Highway, he could see the towing company had its rollback blocking the road, loading the stolen SUV.
The Taney County dispatcher was advising the driver of the stolen one-ton truck was reaching for something, based on video from the officers cars. They warned the suspect could be reaching for a weapon.
Reed said the driver of the stolen vehicle could not get through the blocked road, and on the other side of the wrecker was a propane tank, leading officers to think there could be a shootout.
Instead, the driver took to the ditch and went into the field. He baled out of the truck and into the woods, with a deputy in pursuit.
The truck crashed into a growth of trees, and officers were quick to catch up with the suspect and arrest him.
Reed said they were later notified the suspect was wanted for seven auto thefts in Taney County. The suspect has not yet been identified, pending charges being filed in Ozark County.
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