UPDATE: Pursuit of Stone County man ends in head-on collision

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Photo: Mason Patrick

A Stone County man, 26-year-old Mason Patrick, has been formally charged with felony counts of fleeing, theft of property and second-degree battery, as well as misdemeanors of unauthorized use of a vehicle and reckless driving.

The charges follow a high-speed pursuit resulting in a head-on collision in Izard County.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Stone County Dispatch received an anonymous tip Nov. 5 advising Patrick was traveling east on State Highway 14 from Fifty-Six. Patrick had fled from deputies two days prior. He was wanted on warrants from both Stone and Van Buren counties.

A Stone County deputy intercepted Patrick and notified another member of the department the suspect was headed his way.

The deputy turned his vehicle around and attempted a traffic stop. However, Patrick accelerated his vehicle.

Both officers pursued Patrick’s vehicle, with the suspect driving through the intersection of State Highways 5, 9 and 14 without stopping, nearly striking another motorist.

The pursuit continued into Izard County, with Patrick’s vehicle traveling on both sides of the road. About 3 miles into the pursuit, Patrick met a truck in a curve, nearly striking the vehicle. He later passed a truck pulling a trailer in a curve.

Patrick’s vehicle traveled into a ditch, as it went around an Izard County patrol unit, with the suspect almost losing control.

Back on the road, Patrick tried to go around a second Izard County unit by entering the opposite lane of travel, resulting in his vehicle striking another motorist head-on and bringing an end to the pursuit.

Officers surrounded Patrick’s vehicle, as he tried to exit the passenger window. When he saw the deputies, he sat back down in his vehicle.

A search led to the discovery of a glass container with clear liquid in Patrick’s right shirt pocket, along with a container holding multiple round blue pills. He was also found to be wearing a necklace with a silver container with white residue on it.

The affidavit notes both subjects were transported by ambulance to the Stone County Medical Center, with Patrick cleared and transported to jail.

The vehicle he was driving was reported stolen by its owner. It had been driven by another individual who had discovered it missing outside her place of employment at the end of her shift.

Medical records indicate the victim in the head-on crash suffered “serious and substantial injuries,” including pulmonary contusion, tear of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and sternal fracture.

Patrick’s bond was set at $50,000.

White River Now reports Patrick and Tamara Guinn were passengers in a fleeing vehicle and managed to escape after a high-speed pursuit Nov. 2. The vehicle was pursued by Stone County deputies into Izard County, where the vehicle stopped at a residence. Patrick and Guinn were not located that day. The driver, 47-year-old Aaron Youmans, was arrested and is in the Stone County Detention Center for hindering apprehension, fleeing in a vehicle and reckless driving.



Photo: Aaron Youmans

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