TONTITOWN (KFSM) — Tontitown Police arrested a Eureka Springs man after they say he dragged an officer 70 feet before running over him.
Eddie Lee Marchant, 54, faces charges of first-degree battery, aggravated assault, leaving the scene of an injury accident and fleeing.
About 1:20 a.m. Sunday (Dec. 30), Tontitown police responded to reports of an intoxicated driver in a Ford pickup who was seen urinating in a parking lot at 1089 E. Henri De Tonti Blvd.
Officers arrived and asked Marchant to exit his vehicle, but he refused and began to speed away. As the vehicle began to move, the officer’s equipment caught on the driver’s side door, dragging the officer.
The officer was pulled behind the truck for 70 feet before being thrown free onto the ground. Marchant then ran over the officer with the rear driver’s side tire.
Marchant fled on U.S. 412 toward Springdale, police said. The officer was able to give a description of Marchant and his vehicle before asking for an ambulance to treat his injuries.
The officer was treated for non-life threatening injuries at Washington Regional Medical Center and was released. Police said the officer’s right leg and hip were run over by the truck.
A “Be on the Lookout” BOLO was sent out with a description of Marchant’s vehicle. Deputies with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office were able to find the Ford at a residence on Robbins Road north of Elm Springs in Springdale.
Marchant was found inside a pull trailer at that address.
Marchant was being held Monday (Dec. 31) at the Washington County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond. He has a hearing set for Jan. 28 in Washington County Circuit Court.
