Photo: Landon Preston Stidman
Ten charges have been filed against the driver of a pickup truck that struck a Harrison business during a pursuit by law enforcement in late June resulting in substantial damages to the structure.
Photo: Courtesy Harrison Daily Times
According to the probable cause affidavit, 21-year-old Landon Preston Stidman of Mena is facing felony counts of criminal mischief, fleeing both in a vehicle and on foot and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. He also faces misdemeanors of knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor, reckless driving with accident, violation of the restricted driver’s license, driving while intoxicated #2 with accident, running stop sign, speeding and defective equipment.
Stidman was reportedly behind the wheel of the vehicle owned by a family member who was a passenger in the truck.
The pursuit by a Harrison police officer began when Stidman allegedly ran a stop sign, leading the patrolman to attempt a traffic stop about 10:45 p.m. on June 25.
The owner of the truck told law enforcement he had consumed “a large amount of alcoholic beverages” and had allowed Stidman to drive the vehicle. He said he allowed Stidman to drive mainly because he was offering to buy the truck.
He said Stidman was driving like a “bat out of hell.” He said when the pursuit began, he told Stidman to stop and pull over. But he said Stidman told him to “shut up” and punched him in the mouth.
The vehicle owner said he was “in and out of clarity, due to his extreme intoxication” and did not remember a large crashing noise and seeing Stidman fleeing into a field.
A review of the Life 360 application on the vehicle owner’s cellphone reveals lines of travel from East Nicholson Avenue to the crash scene at Williams Motor Company, located at 1766 U.S. Highway 62/65 South, reached 119 miles per hour.
The Life 360 app provides location-based services to its subscribers, detailing dates, times, lines of travel and estimated speeds.
A review of the police unit’s video cam shows multiple utility poles knocked down, with the suspect’s truck stopped, after traveling through the building and striking another vehicle.
The Arkansas and National Crime Information Center databases indicate Stidman has a restricted driver’s license with the notation of an “interlock device.”
His bond was set at $20,000.
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