Pursuit of a Chevy Trailblazer whose occupants attempted to cash a fake check at a bank - #police

Report:

ON 5/17/2024 AT APPROXIMATELY 4:30 P.M., RUSSELLVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT INITIATED A PURSUIT WITH A
MAROON CHEVY TRAILBLAZER DISPLAYING A PAPER TAG. THE OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE WERE SUSPECTED
OF CASHING A FAKE CHECK AT A LOCAL BANK. THE PURSUIT TRAVELED SOUTH ON STATE HIGHWAY 7, ACROSS
THE RIVER BRIDGE INTO YELL COUNTY, AND INTO DARDANELLE. DARDANELLE POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAME
INVOLVED IN THE PURSUIT. THE PURSUIT CONTINUED, TURNING WEST ONTO STATE HIGHWAY 22 AND
TRAVELING INTO LOGAN COUNTY TRAVELING AT SPEEDS MORE THAN 100 MPH.

ONCE THE PURSUIT ENTERED LOGAN COUNTY, THE SUSPECTS CONTINUED AT SPEEDS MORE THAN 100 MPH
DRIVING RECKLESSLY, AND LOGAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE JOINED IN THE PURSUIT. LT. DARRAN AUSTIN AND
I, TRP. ZOEY BALDWIN, TRAVELED SOUTH ON STATE HIGHWAY 109 FROM JOHNSON COUNTY INTO LOGAN
COUNTY TO ASSIST. WE WERE THE CLOSEST TROOPERS TO THEM AND ATTEMPTED TO GET AHEAD OF THE
PURSUIT. AS LT. AUSTIN AND I CONTINUED SOUTH INTO LOGAN COUNTY, POPE COUNTY DISPATCH ADVISED THE
PURSUIT HAD TURNED ONTO A COUNTY ROAD OFF STATE HIGHWAY 22 IN MIDWAY.

LT. AUSTIN AND I TRAVELED THROUGH SCRANTON STILL SOUTHBOUND ON STATE HIGHWAY 109 AND WERE NOT
MADE AWARE OF ANY UPDATES IN THE PURSUIT. ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTH OF SCRANTON, WE MET THE FLEEING
SUSPECTS AND THE OFFICERS PURSUING THEM. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED AROUND TO CATCH UP TO THE
PURSUIT. THEY CONTINUED TRAVELING NORTH IN THE DIRECTION THAT WE HAD JUST CAME. THE VEHICLE
TRAVELED THROUGH STOP SIGNS AT INTERSECTIONS IN SCRANTON AND PROCEEDED INTO MORRISON BLUFF.
TROOP J DISPATCH NOTIFIED JOHNSON COUNTY AND CLARKSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT OF THE SITUATION
AND OUR LOCATION.

WHEN WE REACHED THE HIGHWAY 109 RIVER BRIDGE, I TOOK OVER AS PRIMARY IN THE PURSUIT. RPD WAS
SECONDARY WITH LOGAN COUNTY SO BEHIND. WE TRAVELED FROM LOGAN COUNTY INTO JOHNSON COUNTY.
THE SUSPECT VEHICLE RAMPED THE RAILROAD TRACKS AT STATE HIGHWAY 109 AND SOUTH CRAWFORD
STREET. THE VEHICLE BECAME AIRBORNE AND LOST CONTROL ON THE NORTHBOUND ROADSIDE. THE DRIVER
WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL AND CONTINUED TO FLEE. THE VEHICLE TRAVELED INTO THE ONCOMING
LANES, PASSING OTHER VEHICLES AND ALMOST HITTING SOME HEAD ON.

I POSITIONED MY UNIT TO PERFORM A TVI (TACTICAL VEHICLE INTERVENTION), AND THE TVI WAS SUCCESSFUL.
THE SUSPECT VEHICLE TRAVELED OFF THE ROAD ONTO THE ROADSIDE UNTIL IT STRUCK A BARBED WIRE
FENCE. THE VEHICLE CAME TO FINAL REST ON THE ROADSIDE FACING NORTHEAST, IN THE FENCE,
APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF STATE HIGHWAY 109 AND SOUTH CRAWFORD
STREET.

OFFICERS FROM RUSSELLVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT, DARDANELLE POLICE DEPARTMENT, CLARKSVILLE
POLICE DEPARTMENT, JOHNSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, AND ASP TROOP J ARRIVED ON SCENE WHERE THE
SUSPECT VEHICLE WAS. THERE WERE THREE SUSPECTS NOTICEABLE IN THE VEHICLE. ALL OFFICERS WERE
ABLE TO COHESIVELY PERFORM FELONY TAKEDOWNS ON ALL SUSPECTS IN THE VEHICLE AND TOOK THEM INTO
CUSTODY. AFTER THEY WERE PLACED INTO CUSTODY, FOUR OF THE OFFICERS ON SCENE CLEARED THE
VEHICLE OF OTHER POSSIBLE SUSPECTS. ONCE IT WAS CLEARED, THE SCENE WAS SECURED AND
CONTROLLED. THE SUSPECTS HAD PLACED A PAPER PLATE COVER OVER THE ACTUAL LICENSE PLATE. THE
PLATE WAS TX THB0418, AND IT WAS A RENTAL FROM EAN HOLDINGS. COGSWELL TOWING OUT OF
RUSSELLVILLE PICKED UP THE VEHICLE AND TRANSPORTED IT TO RUSSELLVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

THE SUSPECTS WERE IDENTIFIED AND TAKEN TO THE RUSSELLVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO BE INTERVIEWED
BY THEIR CID AGENT. THE SUSPECTS WERE IDENTIFIED AS KRISTEN MILGRIM D.O.B. 5/12/86 (DRIVER), TONI
SEAVERS D.O.B. 3/15/55 (FRONT PASSENGER), AND JAMES SCOTT D.O.B. 1/17/92 (BACK PASSENGER). AFTER
INTERVIEWS, THEY WERE TAKEN TO POPE COUNTY DETENTION CENTER AND CHARGED BY ASP AND RPD.

THE FOLLOWING CHARGES WERE FROM ASP.
KRISTEN MILGRIM WAS CHARGED WITH:

5-54-125(D)(3) 2023: FLEEING - FELONY - VEHICLE OR CONVEYANCE - SUBSTANTIAL DANGER OF DEATH
27-51-901: FAIL TO YIELD TO EMERGENCY VEHICLE
27-50-302(A)(7): SPEEDING - MORE THAN 15 MPH OVER LIMIT
27-50-308(B)(1)(B) 1ST: RECKLESS DRIVING - 1ST
27-51-307: IMPROPER PASSING ON LEFT
27-16-602: NO DRIVER LICENSE OR LICENSE EXPIRED

TONI SEAVERS WAS CHARGED WITH:
5-54-125(D)(3) 2023: FLEEING - FELONY - VEHICLE OR CONVEYANCE - SUBSTANTIAL DANGER OF DEATH

JAMES SMITH WAS CHARGED WITH:
5-54-125(D)(3) 2023: FLEEING - FELONY - VEHICLE OR CONVEYANCE - SUBSTANTIAL DANGER OF DEATH