PARAGOULD, Ark. – A multi-county vehicle pursuit ended Tuesday afternoon with the arrest of a Missouri man wanted on multiple felony warrants, according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 1:06 p.m. on Jan. 7, Paragould Emergency Services was notified that Dunklin County authorities were pursuing a white Jeep Compass that had entered Greene County on Highway 139 near Mounds, according to Greene County Sheriff Brad Snyder’s media release posted to social media. The driver, Joel Hancock, 50, of Kennett, was reportedly wanted for multiple felony charges, including felony fleeing.
As law enforcement responded, the suspect began using county roads, eventually reaching Highway 49 north of Paragould. Dunklin County terminated the pursuit near the city limits. A Paragould Police Department officer later spotted the vehicle near Glen Sain Ford and followed it at a distance to avoid initiating a pursuit in the center of town, the sheriff’s release said.
The suspect vehicle continued southbound at near-normal speeds. When it reached the intersection of Highway 49 South and the 412 Bypass, Paragould PD, the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, and Arkansas State Police converged, taking Hancock into custody without incident.
As a precaution, Greene County Tech High School briefly delayed class changes while the situation unfolded. The school’s resource officer monitored the incident, and normal operations continued after authorities confirmed the suspect had been apprehended. The sheriff emphasized that no one at the school was ever in danger.
Hancock was transported to the Greene County Detention Center, awaiting extradition. He is being charged in Arkansas with Possession of Firearms by Certain Persons, Theft by Receiving, and misc traffic citations.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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