Foot chase leads to arrest of city man
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Most times, police use flashing lights and sirens to catch a culprit, but sometimes an officer will use his feet and watchful eyes to nab one.
Earlier this month, Bella Vista Police Department Lt. Tim Cook used the latter to catch Bobby Gulledge, 49, who was wanted on warrants from Bella Vista and Benton County and Ashley County sheriffs ’ offices.
The incident began when Cook, who was patrolling the area near Arkansas Highway 340 and Swanage Drive, saw out of the corner of his eye a truck in the other lane pull off the highway and stop. Cook said he recognized the man driving as Gulledge because the lieutenant had arrested the man several times in the past. The officer also knew the Police Department had two new warrants for Gulledge. “ I spun around and pulled behind the truck, ” Cook said.
By then, Gulledge had gotten out of the vehicle and started to walk away, so Cook got out of his patrol car.
“ I called out ‘ Bobby, ’ and he looked at me and continued walking, ” the lieutenant said. He followed the man along a chain-link fence behind a yard on Caister Lane, but soon lost sight of him. That’s when Cook realized the suspect had headed down into a ravine. He called other officers for help and started walking down into the hollow. He walked along the bottom, where the water had cut about a 3-inch-deep and 2- to 3-foot-wide gully into the soil. After walking about 100 yards, Cook said, he saw the tops of a pair of tennis shoes sticking out of the leaves. Gulledge had taken off his shirt and covered himself in leaves, hoping to avoid detection, the officer said. After instructing the suspect to get up, Cook arrested Gulledge on a warrant stemming from a failure to appear in court. Once they had marched out of the hollow, Cook added the charges of fleeing, public intoxication and driving with a suspended driver’s license. In addition, the lieutenant said, Gulledge will have to spend three weeks in jail because a judge has committed the man for not paying fines and court costs.
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