A Gassville man was arrested Thursday night following a high speed pursuit involving three law enforcement agencies. A long list of charges have been filed against 56-year-old John Leroy Lewis for the incident.
According to information from the Mountain Home Police Department and Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, the incident started when a Mountain Home officer observed a vehicle make a turn without using a signal and the male driver used his arm to hide his face from the officer to conceal his identity. The officer turned around and Lewis then ran a stop sign, at which point the officer initiated his emergency lights.
The vehicle crossed U.S. Highway 62B from Russell Lane to North Street at a high rate of speed. Lewis continued on North street, forcing multiple vehicles to take evasive action to avoid being hit. The pursuit continued across State Highway 201 and to State Highway 5 where Lewis turned north. At this point, due to the wet road conditions and the volume of traffic, the pursuit was terminated.
Baxter County deputies saw the vehicle a short time later with speeds at 80 miles per hour and driving on the wrong side of the road on Highway 5 north. The vehicle became disabled on County Road 900 north of Midway where Lewis was arrested.
Charges against Lewis from the pursuit include felony fleeing, reckless driving, driving while his license is suspended, failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to use a turn signal, having a fictious license plate and no proof of insurance. When officers arrested Lewis, he allegedly had two meth pipes and Xanax pills in an unlabeled prescription bottle which led to charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Lewis is free after posting $25,000 bond.
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