Randy Treadaway of Van Buren, Ark., along with a passenger in his vehicle, Elisa Yancey, were eventually captured by Sequoyah County Sheriff's deputies after Treadaway rammed the stolen truck he was driving into a farmer's gate.
Sequoyah County Sheriff Johnny Philpot said Friday that Sallisaw police initiated the pursuit after trying to pull over Treadaway after an officer spotted the suspected stolen vehicle from Arkansas that Treadaway was driving. Fort Smith, Ark., police reportedly asked Sallisaw authorities to watch for Treadaway after discovering he was in Sallisaw.
Philpot said Treadaway had several warrants for his arrest in Fort Smith, and was believed to have been involved in a pursuit with Fort Smith police on the previous day, May 31. He said Treadaway apparently was able to get away from Arkansas authorities, and later broke into a Fort Smith home and stole the truck he was driving when he was apprehended.
Philpot said when Sallisaw police initiated the pursuit, his department then became involved after hearing the pursuit on the police radio, pursuing Treadaway down U.S. Highway 59. During the 15 to 30 minute pursuit, Treadaway was reportedly passing cars on curves and the shoulder of the road, and even went south in the northbound lane of U.S. Highway 59, Philpot said.
Treadaway went across the Sequoyah County line into LeFlore County, turning into Tucker Bottoms, when the crop duster got involved.
Philpot said the crop duster helped because once Treadaway got off the highway and into the bottoms, Treadaway changed direction several times, making it difficult for officers to follow him.
Deputies were able to watch for the plane, piloted by Paul Gould of Webbers Falls, which was tracking Treadaway.
"It really helped us," Philpot said of the crop duster.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reportedly had an airplane on the way before the crop duster got there.
Gould called it a coincidence because he was already on his way down to Tucker Bottoms to spray some green beans.
He said he was coming from Webbers Falls over Kerr Lock and Dam when his wife, Glenda, called him on his radio and told him there was a pursuit and pointed out where it was. Gould said he thought he could possibly use his plane to help out.
"She was the one who sicced me on him," Gould said, laughing. "She called and said, 'They're having a high-speed chase. Come and get him' so I did."
Gould said the suspect had cut across open fields, which in some places were muddy from recent rain. He said he thought the driver's intention was to take the truck to places the deputies' vehicles couldn't go.
But Gould was able to use his plane to track Treadaway, circling over Treadaway's truck.
"I buzzed him pretty close," Gould said. He explained that he buzzed the driver of the truck by coming in from behind and flying beside the truck, which had its window open.
"I was traveling 120 miles per hour when I went by his window," Gould said.
Gould only buzzed Treadaway once, and then stayed above him. He said his only concern about buzzing him was not knowing the situation and if the driver had a gun.
Gould said his intent by following Treadaway was to make him give up sooner and let him know he was following him.
"With an airplane you can run, but you can't hide," he said.
Gould speculated that the pursuit in the fields lasted no more than 10 minutes.
While Gould didn't have radio communication with law enforcement, he said law enforcement knew what Gould was doing.
"If they lost him on the ground, they could keep an eye on me," he said. "That was my main intent - in case he was able to get away from them."
Gould said deputies had sport utility vehicles and were able to stay close to the truck.
Gould said as soon as he saw Treadaway take the road that he did, he knew it was a dead end. He stayed overhead for a short time to see him apprehended and then continued about his day, crop dusting.
While Gould has been a crop duster for the last nine years, spraying crops from the air for disease and insects, he said this is the first time he has gotten involved in anything like Friday's events.
But he said he always keeps his eyes open for activities going on and has helped farmers find missing equipment by locating it from the air.
When asked if the pursuit was exciting, Gould said, "It was a different morning" and said he was glad to lend some assistance.
"I didn't do very much."
Philpot said Treadaway tied to run the stolen truck through a gate, but was unable to get through. Treadaway reportedly got out of his vehicle and tried to run before being arrested.
The passenger, who was still in the truck, was taken into custody.
During the pursuit, Philpot said Treadaway threw a shotgun out of the vehicle. Law enforcement also recovered Xanax prescription pills outside and inside the vehicle, as well as stolen property linked to a recent burglary in Redland. The license plate on the stolen truck was also stolen.
Philpot anticipated that Treadaway will face a multitude of charges in Sequoyah County, including burglary, knowingly concealing stolen property, malicious injury to property, felony eluding, resisting arrest, possession of controlled substance, and possession of firearm in commission of a felony. He also has various other charges in Fort Smith.
Following the pursuit, Treadaway was taken to Sequoyah Memorial Hospital's emergency room, complaining of a back injury.
