Sallisaw man charged after attempting to elude officer

A Sallisaw man is facing a felony charge of eluding/attempting to elude police officer and a criminal misdemeanor charge of possession of controlled dangerous substance after being stopped by a county deputy earlier this month.

Devin R. Kutill, 28, was charged Oct. 12 in Sequoyah County District Court and following an arraignment, he is now scheduled for a Nov. 9 felony disposition docket before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.

Sequoyah County Sheriff‚s deputy Shane Petree reported on Oct. 7 while patrolling Highway 64 between Vian and Sallisaw, he clocked a white 4-door car traveling west at 83 mph.

When Petree activated his emergency lights to stop the driver, the car turned right on 4550 Road at a high rate of speed, sliding sideways and off the road, knocking down the stop sign on the corner of Hwy. 64 and 4550 Rd. The vehicle reportedly rolled over two times before coming to a stop on its wheels. The driver then took off running across a residential yard.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the deputy drove through the yard chasing after the male driver as he ran into some trees on the west end of the property. The deputy began pursuing the male suspect on foot, commanding him to stop. The man crossed over a barbed wire fence and the deputy followed.

Petree reported he noticed the man reaching inside his pants as he was running, so he pulled his gun and commanded the man to stop once again. The man reportedly tripped and fell, and the deputy was able to take him into custody.

Petree returned to the woods where Kutil was last seen and found two bags of marijuana that had reportedly been thrown under a bush. Authorities were able to identify the driver as Kutil and dispatch was able to confirm he had three warrants for his arrest.

Katil was cleared by emergency personnel before being transported to the Sequoyah County Detention Center.

If found guilty of the eluding/attempting to elude charge, the crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of $100 to $2,000, or both, according to District Attorney Jack Thorp.