Officer Kristi Mitchell

Public Information Officer

903-798-3187 (office) 903-260-0294 (pager)

903-824-4199 (cell) 903-798-3023 (fax)

Texarkana Arkansas Police Badge

Re: Felony Arrest Leads to Large Marijuana bust

On April 8, 2009 at 12:00pm Texarkana Arkansas Police Officer Denise Wilder observed a vehicle leaving a residence at a high rate of speed in the 2300 block of Locust Street. The suspect continued to travel at unsafe speeds and failed to stop at dangerous intersections. Corporal Wilder called for other police units to respond in the area in attempt to stop the vehicle and prevent any injuries. A vehicle pursuit of the suspect ensued from Texarkana Arkansas into Texarkana Texas. During the pursuit a large cardbox was discarded from the vehicle. Inside the box officers discovered bundles of marijuana which weighed approximately 17.5 pounds.

Texarkana, Texas Police staged two officers at the intersection of State Line Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard, all the while keeping in communication with the Arkansas officers. Upon seeing the police units, the suspect turned North on State Line and then entered Texas via Walnut Street. Texarkana, Texas units then initiated a pursuit as the vehicle continued to accelerate north on Walnut Street. Officers then reported the suspect vehicle struck a tree at the intersection of W. 23rd and Walnut, causing him to flee his vehicle on foot. Both Texas and Arkansas Police Officers responded, immediately setting up a perimeter around the crash site. Minutes later the suspect was found hiding in the back yard of a residence one block away by Officer Eric Winters. Derrick Wayne Blair, a 32 year old black male from Texarkana, Arkansas, was arrested and charged with Evading Detention, a felony in the State of Texas. Blair will face charges of possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver and fleeing in Texarkana Arkansas. Blair also had two additional warrants for his arrest stemming from unpaid traffic fines in Texas. He was arrested and placed in the Bi-State Jail. No bond has yet been set in this case.

The Bi-State Narcotics Task Force continued the investigation, which led to a search warrant being run at the original residence in the 2300 block Locust Street. Once inside Investigators located an additional pound of marijuana that was located in the suspects bedroom.

Thank you and you can visit the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department online at http://www.txkusa.org/arkpolice.