QUITMAN, Ark. — A Dec. 21 attempted traffic stop for speeding escalated into a vehicle pursuit, crash, and foot chase before Arkansas State Police arrested a man, according to a state police report.
Trooper First Class Jess Burris was on routine patrol Dec. 21, 2025, traveling southbound on State Highway 25 near State Highway 225 when he observed a red Ford passenger car traveling northbound at an apparent high rate of speed within the Quitman city limits, the report states.
Using radar, Burris confirmed the vehicle was traveling 46 mph in a 35-mph zone and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle turned into the Tobacco World parking lot but did not stop, instead circling the building and returning to State Highway 25, according to the report.
The vehicle then turned onto Locust Street and accelerated, prompting Burris to activate his siren and pursue. While negotiating a left curve, the vehicle lost control and struck a tree on the right side of the roadway before coming to rest in the middle of the street, the report states.
The driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot into nearby woods. After a brief manhunt, state police apprehended the suspect and identified him as Caleb Michael Phillips, born March 25, 1999.
Phillips, 26, was transported to the Cleburne County Detention Center and booked on multiple charges, including felony fleeing in a vehicle, fleeing on foot, first-degree reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, failure to wear a seatbelt, and speeding 1 to 15 mph over the limit.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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