A Salem man is facing eight charges following a motorcycle pursuit by an Arkansas State Police trooper in Mountain Home. Forty-two-year-old Matthew Olcen Sexton was pinned against his motorcycle briefly by the trooper with his car to make sure he didn’t escape after he turned his bike over.
According to the probable cause affidavit by the trooper, Sexton was seen driving the motorcycle without a license plate which resulted in the trooper making a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Auto Zone store. When the trooper approached the suspect, he was told to turn the bike off. He told the trooper he couldn’t because it wouldn’t restart and he then fled.
Sexton went north on Morris Street, turned onto North Street, ran a red light at State Highway 201 and quickly accelerated to 65-miles-per-hour as he approached State Highway 5 North. He turned north onto Highway 5, then tried to make a U-turn when he lost control of the bike and it fell onto its side. Sexton was attempting to right the motorcycle, so the trooper pulled up and pinned the suspect between his patrol car and the motorcycle and took him into custody.
Sexton was taken to Baxter Health to be checked out and then was transported to the Baxter County Detention Center.
Sexton is facing a felony charge of fleeing along with misdemeanor charges of driving on a suspended license, not having insurance, not having a vehicle license, failure to register a vehicle, not having a motorcycle endorsement, failure to stop for a red light and speeding 15 miles-per-hour over the speed limit. He is free after posting $15,000 bond.
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