A Mountain Home man is facing 11 charges for a crash earlier this month that damaged three campers, took out a utility pole, knocked out power to over 550 North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) customers and threatening a state trooper. Five of the 11 charges are felonies 57-year-old Craig Lawrence Sellers is facing.
According to the probable cause affidavit from the Arkansas State Police, the accident happened Aug. 2 when Sellers failed to negotiate a curve on Arkansas State Highway 5 south of Midway and ran off the roadway. The vehicle struck two road signs owned by the Arkansas Department of Transportation, one of which became airborne and struck a camper that was on consignment at Ideal RV Center, causing extensive damage. The vehicle then struck a NAEC utility pole and chain link fence belonging to Ideal RV Center. The vehicle continued on, striking another camper on consignment. That camper struck a third camper that was also on consignment. The vehicle then struck the chain link fence again, re-entered the roadway and fled the scene.
When law enforcement arrived on scene, they located Sellers about one half mile away. His car was heavily damaged and dragging several feet of the top rail of chain link fence from Ideal RV Center. Sellers admitted to drinking earlier in the night and there was an open partial bottle of beer in the floorboard.
Sellers refused a field sobriety test and was taken into custody for DWI. A search warrant was obtained for a blood draw. Once at the hospital, Sellers told the state trooper, because of his line of work, he has been in the trooper’s neighborhood. Sellers said “he would wake up to him standing in his bedroom and he would burn him down.” While being transported back to the detention center, Sellers told the trooper “he would keep him alive by cutting off pieces of him for weeks.”
Sellers is facing three counts of second degree criminal mischief, and one count each of first degree terroristic threatening and leaving the scene of a collision with more than $10,000 in damage, all felonies. Misdemeanor charges include three counts of second degree criminal mischief, and one count each of DWI third offense, reckless driving, and having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle. Sellers is free after posting $15,000 bond.
Sellers previous two DWIs were in 2017 and 2018. He also has two previous convictions for terroristic threatening in 2018.
The accident knocked out power to over 550 NAEC customers for several hours that night.
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