A Stone County man was jailed on a variety of charges Wednesday after authorities say he drove recklessly, flipped his vehicle, and snapped a utility pole in half — all with a friend and two juveniles as passengers.
Court records say authorities were called to a residence on Meadow Creek Road, Oct. 23, regarding an accident.
Upon arrival, they found a man lying on the ground next to a vehicle that looked as if it had been rolled over several times. The man, identified in the arrest affidavit as Shane Dearien, told Deputy Nathan Masterson that he thought he had a broken hip. Masterson spoke to a juvenile also at the scene who said Dearien and a man identified as Royce Lee Callahan, 39, were going raccoon hunting, according to the affidavit.
The juvenile and another juvenile friend joined Callahan and Dearien in Callahan’s vehicle to go on the hunt. In separate interviews, both the juveniles and Dearien reported Callahan was driving erratically, the affidavit said.
The juvenile told Masterson the vehicle Callahan was driving started to go off the road when he overcorrected, flipping the vehicle approximately eight times before it struck a utility pole, splitting the pole in half and landing on its wheels, the affidavit said.
The report from authorities noted Dearien was thrown from the vehicle. He was later air-lifted to Little Rock for injuries to his hip, bladder, and back. One of the juveniles reported no one in the vehicle had been wearing a seat belt.
In a subsequent interview with authorities, Dearien said immediately after the accident, Callahan told him “not to say a damn word because he knew he was in trouble,” the affidavit said. One of the juveniles was able to drive the vehicle back to the Meadow Creek Road residence.
Investigators attempted to interview Callahan at the time of the accident, but his girlfriend told them he would not come outside his house and deputies were not allowed in the house, according to the affidavit.
After filing charges with the Stone County Circuit Court on Dec. 15, Callahan was booked into the Stone County Detention Center early Wednesday morning on a bond of $10,000. Detention center records show he was released Wednesday evening.
Callahan is facing one felony count of requirements in accidents involving death or personal injuries (leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury); one misdemeanor count of third-degree battery; two misdemeanor counts of assault in the second degree; one misdemeanor count of second-degree criminal mischief; one misdemeanor count of careless and prohibited driving; and two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the third degree.
The affidavit also noted that Entergy invoiced Callahan for just under $4,000 for the damage caused to the utility pole.
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