Arrest warrant issued for motorcyclist after he attempts to elude deputy

An arrest warrant has been issued for a local man after he allegedly tried to elude a Sequoyah County deputy last month while driving a motorcycle near Gore.

Jefferson Stimson, 55, who has addresses in both Vian and Muldrow, was charged Dec. 13 in Sequoyah County District Court and a warrant was issued for his arrest the same day. If found guilty of eluding/ attempting to elude a police officer, he could face imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of $100 to $2,000, or both, according to District Attorney Jack Thorp.

Sequoyah County Sheriff’s deputy Cody Parkerson reported at 11:15 p.m. on Nov. 22, he was traveling eastbound on Highway 100 near Gore when he spotted a motorcycle traveling westbound with inoperable tail lights.

The deputy reported the motorcycle turned south onto 4490 Road and accelerated in speed. He activated his emergency lights and siren, and told dispatch he would be in pursuit of the motorcycle but reportedly lost sight of the motorcycle at the intersection of 4490 and 979 Road.

Parkerson reported seeing three men in a yard where he last saw the motorcycle and said one of the men fit the description of the male who allegedly eluded him. When he turned around to make contact with the men, he saw the man matching the description of the motorcyclist was gone. The other two men said the man had went inside the residence.

Parkerson went to the residence and asked the man, who identified himself as Stimson, to step outside and speak with him. Stimson was still wearing riding shoes but had taken off the black leather jacket he was seen wearing. Stimson said he didn’t live at the location but did live a few houses down. He said he’d left the jacket at the residence after taking it off.

When asked if he had any motorcycles, Stimson reportedly said he did but it was at a friend’s house. He claimed a family member dropped him off after he’d dropped the motorcycle off earlier in the day.

The deputy noticed one of Stimson’s hands were bleeding and asked what happened. Stimson said he’d scraped it on something in the residence. Parkerson reported Stimson appeared to be nervous and he asked him if he was the one who had just eluded him. Stimson assured the deputy it was not him, according to the probable cause affidavit.

As deputies were about to leave the property, Parkerson noticed a motorcycle in the yard covered by a tarp. He said he was able to identify it as Stimson’s from a previous traffic stop. The motor was still reportedly warm and the foot peg had fresh dirt on it, indicating it had just been driven. The bug shield was also reportedly broken as if the motorcycle had allegedly been wrecked.

Parkerson went back to the residence to speak with Stimson, and he followed the deputies back to where the motorcycle was located. When deputy Colton Goff pulled the tarp off, Stimson reportedly became defensive, stating he did not do anything.

The deputy confronted Stimson, asking him why he had lied about the location of the motorcycle and Stimson said he didn’t understand why he was being questioned about where his bike was at. The deputies then left the residence.