HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — A Hot Springs man is facing felony charges after prosecutors say he stole a pickup truck from a Central Avenue car lot and led police on a chase through parking lots and city streets before Arkansas State Police forced the vehicle to a stop.
Zachary Calab Crabtree, 37, was formally charged July 2 in Garland County Circuit Court with theft by receiving over $5,000, a Class C felony, and fleeing, a Class D felony, according to a criminal information filed by Prosecuting Attorney Michelle C. Lawrence of the 18th Judicial District East.
According to a probable cause affidavit by Hot Springs Police Officer Cristian Rios, officers responded around 11:42 a.m. June 19 to Central Auto Sales, 3925 Central Ave., for a report of a stolen vehicle. Employees told police that vehicles are left idling on the lot so the batteries don’t die, and that around 11:30 a.m. they realized a red 2012 Chevrolet Colorado was missing from the front lot.
Employees tracked the truck using its onboard GPS to a residence on Lakeland Drive, where they found a man standing near the vehicle loading items into it, the affidavit states. One employee recognized the man as Crabtree because the two had attended high school together. When she confronted him, Crabtree allegedly cursed at her and fled in the truck. The employee followed in her personal vehicle while on the phone with Hot Springs police.
Rios wrote that he was in the area and saw the truck turn into a Casey’s parking lot on Central Avenue to cut through. He activated his lights and attempted a traffic stop, but the truck cut through the parking lots of a Whataburger and Bank OZK, then drove through the grass toward Mehta Court — “obviously eluding police,” the officer wrote.
The truck continued north on American Street and turned west on Garrison, pulling into a business parking lot before cutting through the grass and heading east on Garrison Street, according to the affidavit. Crabtree then drove north on Central Avenue and turned onto East Cornerstone Boulevard as a second Hot Springs officer joined the pursuit.
When the truck turned north on Central Avenue, Arkansas State Police troopers in the immediate area performed a tactical vehicle intervention — a maneuver used to force a fleeing vehicle to stop — and assisted in taking Crabtree into custody. An arrest report lists the location of arrest as Central Avenue and Carl Drive.
The truck, valued at $8,510, was totaled as a result of the chase and the intervention, Rios wrote, adding that Crabtree had “multiple safe areas to pull over” and exceeded the posted 35 mph speed limit.
An Arkansas arrest report also lists a charge of second-degree criminal mischief at the time of arrest, though that count was not included in the formal charging document. Court records list Crabtree’s bond at $5,000.
Theft by receiving property valued between $5,000 and $25,000 is punishable by three to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Fleeing by vehicle in excess of the posted speed limit carries up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The charges are allegations, and Crabtree is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
