Photo: Mark Anthony Lewis
A Mountain Home man discovered late last month in the driver’s seat of a vehicle running in the driveway at a residence along West Road as the owner exited his home, is in trouble once again as the passenger in a fleeing vehicle.
According to an incident report from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, 29-year-old Mark Anthony Lewis had attempted to board a Mountain Home School District bus earlier the day he was found behind the wheel of another man’s truck at the West Road residence.
In the latest incident, Lewis was the passenger in a vehicle a Norfork Police Department officer attempted to stop Feb. 14.
The latest affidavit notes a traffic stop was attempted, after the officer detected the plate on the SUV Lewis’ was riding in belonged on another vehicle.
Despite the driver of the vehicle having multiple opportunities to pull over, the SUV continued traveling along State Highway 5 with the officer reportedly initiating his siren on and off approximately six times.
The vehicle turned onto Winterberry Drive, with the driver again reportedly ignoring the siren and reaching a speed of about 50 miles per hour.
The driver made a right-hand turn into a driveway when the vehicle reached the end of the dead-end street, speeding up again and catching a guide wire from an electrical pole with the SUV’s back bumper.
The impact broke the electrical pole toward the top, with a transformer and live wires connected to it.
The vehicle came to a stop, with the driver fleeing and leaving Lewis in the SUV.
The officer attempted to give chase to the driver, but was stopped by the electrical wires on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
Lewis told the officer he did not know who the driver was, saying he was just a passenger. It was a story Lewis would stick with, responding with the same answer at least four more times when questioned.
As the officer and Lewis were standing beside the patrol unit, the SUV rolled back into the front of it causing about $2,000 in damages.
A search of the fleeing vehicle revealed drug paraphernalia and a white powdery residue field testing positive for methamphetamine.
Lewis was taken into custody and has been charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of drug paraphernalia, both felonies, as well as a misdemeanor count of obstructing governmental operations.
His bond was set at $10,000.
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