Police beat (2/18/10) Log Cabin Democrat
Among reports recently released by the Conway Police Department:
1. Possession of a controlled substance/robbery/fleeing at 1155 Skyline Drive (Walmart). Officers responded early on the evening of Feb. 10 to reports that Walmart loss prevention officer was in a foot pursuit with a shoplifter. After being advised on the last known direction the thief had been seen running toward, officers found a suspect matching the thief’s description lying on the ground in an alley behind New China. The suspect, identified as 50-year-old Steven John Voegele of 707 South Elizabeth St., Conway, was searched upon his arrest and two suspected smoking devices, a set of digital scales and less than a gram of suspected methamphetamine were found in his pockets. Officers later made contact with the loss prevention officer who pursued the suspect, who said that she chased the thief to a nearby apartment complex and lost contact shortly after he threatened her with an object police believe to have been a large wooden rain gauge.
2. Possession of a controlled substance/fleeing in the area of Fourth Avenue and Maple Street. An officer patrolling Harkrider Street at about 2:45 a.m. on Thursday noticed that a white early ’90s Cadillac seemed to be going about 20 mph over the speed limit and attempted to initiate a traffic stop as the vehicle turned onto Fifth Avenue. When the vehicle stopped one suspect got out of the driver’s door and another started to get out of a rear door. The officer yelled for the driver to stop and come to him, and the driver ran west down Fourth Avenue. The officer pursued him a short distance in his patrol car and then continued the pursuit on foot. A taser shot went wide, but the officer was able to run the suspect down and arrest him. This suspect, identified in the report as 25-year-old Ricky Austin of 475 Robins St., Conway, was found to be “extremely intoxicated.” Soon after Austin was arrested another, officer radioed that the white Cadillac was moving “at a high rate of speed and running red lights on Harkrider.” Another officer stopped the Cadillac at the Oakwood Village Trailer Park and arrested its new driver, identified in the report as 26-year-old Columbus Tuggle of 475 East Robins St., and a passenger identified in the report as 26-year-old Quinton James of 1008 Jefferson St., Little Rock. In the vehicle was found about 2 grams of suspected “crack” cocaine. Austin was arrested on suspicion of second-offense DWI, fleeing on foot, refusal to submit to chemical test, careless/prohibited driving, driving while license is suspended/canceled/revoked and for a misdemeanor warrant. Tuggle was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, careless/prohibited driving, disregarding a traffic control device and driving while license is suspended/canceled/revoked. James was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance.
