After stealing an ATV side-by-side from a Batesville farm equipment dealer Monday morning, a Newport man led Sheriff Shawn Stephens and some of his deputies on a wild chase in the northwestern part of Independence County.
Court information says the Independence County Sheriff’s Department was able to identify the accused through photos taken during the pursuit. The Independence County Circuit Court information says Cody Lee Holt (pictured), 28, managed to damage two fences, farm fields, driveways, a police car, and the ATV he had allegedly stolen.
The ATV, stolen from Greenway Equipment on White Drive in north Batesville, had a retail value of $20,000. The sheriff’s department estimated at least $5,000 in damage was done to the vehicle during the chase with the most damage caused when the ATV was driven into a police vehicle, court info says.
Holt was apprehended in Newport and taken into custody for the sheriff’s department.
He faces five felony counts and two Class A misdemeanor charges. The list of charges include one count of theft of a vehicle; one count of fleeing in a vehicle; two counts of aggravated assault; one count of felony first-degree criminal mischief; and two counts of misdemeanor first-degree criminal mischief.
The court documents note that Holt’s criminal history showed he had been convicted of one felony in Arkansas and is facing charges on 11 more in Jackson County Circuit Court.
Holt has been booked into the Independence County Jail and placed on a $100,000 bond.
Image via Independence County Detention Facility
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