Photo: Noah Lee Lawhead
A 19-year-old Mountain Home man faces a felony charge, after leading law enforcement on a lengthy high-speed chase that finally came to an end at a closed bridge in Missouri.
Noah Lee Lawhead faces a felony fleeing charge and a plethora of misdemeanor traffic violations. The traffic charges include five counts related to running red lights; two counts for running stop signs; three counts related to failure to signal a turn; an improper lane-change violation; and no liability insurance.
According to a news release from Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery, Deputy Austin Morrison was on U.S. Highway 62/412 West when he noticed a racing-type motorcycle pass him at a high rate of speed. As Morrison prepared to pull in behind the motorcycle, he noticed officers from other agencies pursuing.
The pursuit, which originally began in Gassville, went through downtown Mountain Home all the way to Cardinal Drive, before the bike turned north on Cardinal, then west on Arkansas Avenue, and finally north on State Highway 201. A sheriff’s office narrative says the motorcycle reached a speed of 115 mph in a 35 mph zone on Arkansas.
The driver, later identified as Lawhead, continued at speeds over 100 mph into Missouri. What the evading rider didn’t know was that Lick Creek Bridge on J Highway (201 after crossing the border) in Missouri is under construction. The chase came to a sudden stop when Lawhead allegedly went through the barricades and noticed the bridge was out. He then surrendered without incident to authorities.
Lawhead was initially jailed in Ozark County before waiving extradition back to Baxter County, where he was booked on a $15,000 bond. He remains a prisoner in the detention center on Tuesday morning. Sheriff Montgomery says Lawhead is due to appear in circuit court on Aug. 6.
The narrative from the sheriff’s office states Lawhead was identified as a member of the United States Navy assigned to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, and Naval authorities had been made aware of the arrest and the events leading up to it.
In addition to the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, the Gassville and Mountain Home police departments were also part of the pursuit.
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