Photo: Alton Bruce Cooke, 2016 booking
A manhunt is underway in northwest Baxter County following a shooting incident early Wednesday morning. Authorities are searching for 28-year-old Alton Bruce Cooke in the Promise Land area. Cooke is considered armed and dangerous. He is described as 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 210 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. The Baxter County Sheriff’s Office and the dog tracking team from the North Central Arkansas Unit of the Department of Correction are involved in the search.
The shooting incident happened in Midway about 5 Wednesday morning, according to Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery. Montgomery says the victim and her male passenger turned from State Highway 5 onto State Highway 178 when Cooke allegedly rammed their vehicle. A short distance later, Cooke allegedly rammed their vehicle again, causing it to wreck near the Midway post office. Montgomery says the suspect then allegedly fired multiple shots into the wrecked vehicle and fled the area.
Both victims were injured by the gunshots and were taken to Baxter Regional Medical Center, where they were both treated and released.
Montgomery says indications are the female victim and Cooke had a past relationship.
Cooke was driving a red 2009 GMC truck at the time of the incident.
Cooke is also a registered sex offender in Baxter County. He was convicted in 2013 of computer child pornography involving sexually explicit conversations via the internet with a 14-year-old female during which he discussed meeting her for sex.
Montgomery says no other information, including the names of the victims, will be released at this time.
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