FORT SMITH, Ark — A man was arrested in Fort Smith Thursday (Jan. 28) after swimming across the Arkansas River in an attempt to flee from bondsmen.
According to Eli McMullan, a Bail Bond Agent at Bryce's Bail Bonds, Around 2:20 p.m. agents went to a residence on Meandering Way to arrest 30-year-old Maverick Merchka on charges of furnishing prohibited articles, failure to appear, petition to revoke probation and aggravated assault.
The warrants were out of Crawford County, Conway and Fort Smith.
After an altercation with agents, Merchka fled on foot and agents chased him for about a mile and a half before he jumped into the Arkansas River near S. 96th Street.
"At this point, we were worried about his safety," McMullan said.
As they waited for the fire department to arrive with a rescue boat, the bondsmen borrowed a boat from a neighbor and were able to reach the island Merchka was on.
As they got to the island they found Merchka, who fled on foot again and jumped back into the river for a second time.
Once he dove into the water, they did everything they could to work with local law enforcement to get him back to safety.
Officers were able to retrieve Merchka safely from the water around 5 p.m.
Merchka was taken to a local hospital to be treated for hypothermia. According to Fort Smith Police, he told staff he had ingested methadone and Xanax.
Merchka is being held in the Sebastian County Jail on multiple charges.
