Manchester man charged in 2 separate fleeing incidents
A common myth is that lightning never strikes in the same place twice. What may hold more truth is that one can outrun police once, but not twice.
A Clark County man learned that the hard way. While he was successful at evading a deputy sheriff, his luck ran out five days later when he floored it, this time ahead of an Arkansas state trooper.
Two separate felony cases were filed in recent days in Clark County Circuit Court against 44-year-old David Larosse Boddie. Court documents allege that the Manchester resident led a deputy sheriff on a high-speed pursuit on state Highway 51 from Clear Lake to Joan.
On the night of Sept. 3, 2024, Clark County Deputy Zack Marshall was checking on the lake area during a routine patrol when he came across Boddie parked in a Ford Escape. Catching a whiff of marijuana, the deputy questioned Boddie about his activities of late and asked him to produce identification. Boddie replied that he left it at home and, according to an affidavit, drove away from the officer.
A pursuit ensued, at speeds up to 90 mph, toward Joan and continuing in a southeasterly direction along Highway 128. The chase continued on Fite Road, ultimately ending when the pavement came to an end and Deputy Marshall ate Boddie's dust.
Prior to losing site of the suspect vehicle, Marshall was able to get a read on the vehicle license plate. Boddie lives on Church Drive, about 3 miles from where the deputy called off the pursuit.
Five days later, on the afternoon of Sept. 8, Trooper Seth Smedley was northbound on Arkansas Highway 7, in the area of the rice fields, when he spotted a vehicle and license plate matching the description of the one in the pursuit. The trooper followed the vehicle as it turned onto Highway 51 and on to Joan.
The actual pursuit began somewhere on Darby Road as Boddie tried losing the trooper by turning into private drives; when Smedley attempted a traffic stop Boddie allegedly drove around a home and fled on Darby Road. Boddie turned south onto White Road, where at the intersection he reportedly almost struck a northbound UTV.
In the 1/8 of a mile between that intersection and Church Drive, Smedley unsuccessfully attempted a tactical vehicle intervention maneuver. The suspect fled again, attempting to turn onto Church Drive but skidded off the roadway and into a barbed wire fence.
The affidavit notes that Boddie then exited the vehicle and commenced to running toward his home, about 2.5 miles from the intersection. The foot chase would be brief — about 100 feet — as Smedley tasered Boddie; he fell face-first onto the pea gravel-impacted roadway.
Boddie was ultimately handcuffed and escorted back to the trooper's car, tossing an Altoids tin to the ditch en route. The tin, later collected as evidence, contained 3 small bags of meth and 3 ecstasy pills.
In addition to fleeing and possession of methamphetamine with purpose to deliver, a state police indictment charged Boddie with tampering with physical evidence.
A passenger in Boddie's vehicle, identified as Fareaster Brim, 44, was found to have a warrant out of Hot Spring County.
An ambulance was called for a medical check on Boddie, who was transported by ambulance to Baptist Health Medical Center-Arkadelphia. It was there that he received stitches for a laceration to his face and a sling for a strained shoulder. After being discharged from hospital care, Smedley transported Boddie to the Clark County Detention Center.
Formal charges filed this week against Boddie include meth possession with purpose to deliver, a Class A felony, and fleeing, a Class D felony.
Bond for Boddie's release was set at $65,000 during his first court appearance.
