By Ray King
The Arkansas Court of Appeals on Wednesday affirmed the conviction and prison sentence of a Drew Couty man who fled from police and had a loaded gun in his vehicle.
After a trial in Drew County Circuit Court, Emmitt McKinley was found guilty of fleeing and being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison.
In his appeal, McKinley said the state did not prove that he knew he was going to be detained or arrested when he led a state trooper on a lengthy chase at speeds of up to 130 miles per hour on Jan. 28, 2022.
The chase ended in the Monticello City limits when Monticello Police blocked the street with their cars, forcing McKinley to stop.
The Appeals Court rejected McKinley’s claim about not knowing he was going to be detained or arrested, noting that when the trooper saw McKinley driving 76 miles per hour on the highway, he did a U-turn and activated his lights and siren.
McKinley testified that he did not see the lights but the appeals court said McKinley sped up from 76 miles per hour to 130 miles per hour and the trooper was unable to catch him.
Prosecutors also argued that McKinley had reason to flee because he had a gun in the vehicle and was a convicted felon.
