Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Two Hope Men Arrested For Separate Felonies

Running from law enforcement officials resulted in a Hope man being charged with three felonies recently.

According to Nevada County Sheriff Steve Otwell, a call came in to the Nevada Count Sheriff's Office around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, concerning a chase involving a Hope Police Department unit.

The initial report had the HPD unit chasing a tan Ford pickup heading toward Nevada County on Highway 67. The vehicle turned out to be a 1991 Ford Explorer.

Otwell headed toward Emmet, and by the time he arrived, the suspect had cut through Highway 299 and was in Interstate-30, still heading in the direction of Prescott.

Otwell continued the pursuit, but when he reached the 39 mile marker, he was informed the suspect had crossed the median and was how traveling in the direction of Hope on I-30.

But, at the 38mm, the suspect again crossed the median and started toward Prescott once more.

The suspect, Nick W. Whatley, 19, of Hope, left I-30 at exit 44, drove through Prescott and turned right on Highway 67, again heading toward Emmet.

Otwell said two HPD units had put up a stop stick, a device placed in the highway with sharpened metal spikes to give vehicles flat tires and slow them down, at the intersection of 67 and 299. These units then waited for the suspect to arrive.

However, when Whatley saw the police cars, he turned left on 299 heading toward Laneburg.

Whatley was being chased by the Arkansas State Police, a HPD unit, and a unit from the Arkansas Highway Police, along with two from the NCSO and four or five more from Hope and the Hempstead County Sheriff's Office.

Otwell managed to pass the suspect and slowed to 40 or 45 miles an hour.

Deputy Danny Martin was in front of the chase at the time, and was told to turn around so a rolling road block could be established.

However, when this was tried, Whatley tried to pass Martin by going into the ditch on the left side of 299.

When this failed, the suspect cut across the road where he managed to get in front of Martin.

Meanwhile, Otwell had gotten in front of both and was on the Terre Rouge bridge, where he began slowing down.

But, Whatley cut hard left, hitting Martin's car, causing $1,400 in damage, then came to a stop.

Whatley was charged with felony fleeing, reckless driving, aggravated assault and felony criminal mischief, along with driving on a suspended license, driving under the influence and minor in possession of alcohol.

The felonies are all class D, carrying a sentence of up to six years in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000.

Otwell said the chase lasted about 20 minutes, with speeds reaching 90 mph at times.

Along with Martin's vehicle being damaged, Hebb Sorrells' unit

had to have four new tires put on it. Sorrells, Otwell said, was coming off 299 from I-30, to join the chase, when he ran over the stop sticks the HPD had put down, but failed to remove after the suspect headed toward Laneburg.

SUSPECT ARRESTED

A Hope man wanted for terroristic threatening in Nevada County was arrested Saturday, Nov. 25, at a highway checkpoint.

According to Otwell, Keyon Lattrell Peniger, 22, of Hope, was stopped at a highway checkpoint during a saturation stop.

At the time he didn't have his driver's license, and when officers ran the information through the Arkansas Crime Information Center, they learned Peniger was also wanted on felony charges stemming from an incident in July.

According to Otwell, on July 24 Peniger had reportedly threatened to kill David Dismuke, Linda Dismuke and Margaret Harris.

Terroristic threatening is a class D felony, carrying a sentence of up to six years in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000.