A parolee, 42 year old Jermiah Dean Partee of rural Mountain Home, Ark., was arrested Wednesday afternoon, February 17, following a brief vehicle pursuit in the Mountain Home area. Partee was the suspect in motor vehicle thefts that occurred in Ozark County and Howell County, Missouri. He had reportedly escaped from Ozark County authorities on Tuesday after wrecking a stolen vehicle in that jurisdiction. Afterwards, Partee was believed to have then stolen a Silver Ford Taurus bearing a Missouri license plate number, which information was provided to area law enforcement agencies.
At approximately 4:52 PM Wednesday, a Baxter County Sheriff’s Deputy met the suspect in the stolen vehicle on Walker Road (CR 27) just outside of Mountain Home, heading toward State Highway 5 North. Other officers in the area met the suspect vehicle at the intersection of Walker Road and Highway 5 N. The driver, Partee, tried to drive past the patrol cars. He slid on the ice and went the ditch. Partee was able to quickly extricate himself from the ditch and made it on Highway 5 N, and he then drove toward Mountain Home. Deputies initiated a pursuit. Partee was driving in a reckless manner at approximately 80 mph and endangering other motorists. After coming into Mountain Home, Partee wrecked the stolen vehicle on First Street near Highway 62B at approximately 5:02 PM. Partee then fled on foot to the nearby Town and Country Motel and attempted to hide inside a room. He was followed and taken into custody by officers.
Partee was then transported to the Baxter County Detention Center and booked on preliminary charges of:
Theft by Receiving – Felony
Fleeing – Felony
Reckless Driving – Misdemeanor
No Liability Insurance – Misdemeanor
Driving While License Suspended – Misdemeanor
Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Property Damage – Misdemeanor
Failing to Obey Traffic Control Sign or Device – Misdemeanor
He is currently being held in custody on those charges with a bond of $50,000. He also has holds place for Ozark County and Howell County, Missouri, and additional local charges may be filed as well. Partee will appear before the Baxter County Circuit Court to answer on April 15th.
Records indicate that Partee has been incarcerated in the Baxter County Detention Center a total of 44 times since 1997 on various charges and court commitments. Records also indicates he has been sent to the Arkansas Department of Corrections or a Community Corrections Center at least three 3 times and has been incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections at least twice.
Agencies involved in the incident were the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Home Police Department, and Arkansas State Police.
