A high-speed chase in Independence County early Thursday morning ended with the suspect’s vehicle crashing through a barbed-wire fence.
According to the incident report, Independence County Deputy Sheriff Casey R. Martin was called to an Independence County residence near Pleasant Plains in regard to a harassment complaint.
While en route to the scene, authorities spotted the suspect’s vehicle, a blue Pontiac G-6, leaving the area, south on Highway 167. Officials said the car was being driven by the harassment suspect, identified in the report as Zachary Wayne Passmore, 18, of Pleasant Plains.
The report said after pulling behind the Pontiac, Deputy Martin noticed the vehicle cross the yellow line. Martin then activated his emergency lights for a traffic stop, and the suspect vehicle increased its speed, refusing to stop. At times, speeds were nearing 100 m.p.h. on Highway 167, then Emmerson Loop, Hideout Road, and Doglick Cutoff.
The cutoff is where Passmore lost control of the Pontiac G-6. Martin’s report noted the vehicle left the roadway and traveled through a barbed-wire fence, before coming to stop. Passmore was taken into custody, and his vehicle towed.
Passmore is facing seven misdemeanor charges: fleeing, driving on a suspended driver’s license, reckless driving, speeding, improper lane change, driving left of center, and first-degree criminal mischief.
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