Two arrested after high-speed pursuit and crash outside Oil Trough

Two people face felony drug charges after a high-speed pursuit and crash that ended in Jackson County.

According to court documents, an Arkansas State Police trooper clocked a red Ford Mustang at 70 mph in a 55 mph zone on State Highway 14, east of Oil Trough, Wednesday just before 7 p.m. After the trooper attempted a traffic stop, the Mustang’s driver accelerated and fled into Jackson County before losing control of the vehicle and causing it to strike a utility pole.

The driver and the front passenger fled on foot into the adjacent agricultural field and were located and arrested a short time later by law enforcement.

The driver of the Mustang was identified as Rashad Javon Briscoe, 19, of Newport, while the court documents identified his passenger as Gloria Carmen Gonzalez, 18, of Batesville.

The documents said that during the investigation, Gonzalez claimed to be the driver and the owner of all contraband found in the vehicle, but investigators later determined that Briscoe had been the driver.

Authorities said a search of the Mustang yielded a loaded .40 caliber handgun with an additional loaded magazine, as well as a backpack containing baggies of suspected psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana and a set of digital scales.

According to the arrest affidavit, Briscoe was currently out on bond for felony drug and weapon charges in Jackson County Circuit Court on a case filed earlier this year.

Both Gonzalez and Briscoe were charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms; trafficking a controlled substance; possession of a controlled substance; and possession of drug paraphernalia — all felonies.

Briscoe faces one more felony charge of fleeing in a motor vehicle and a misdemeanor charge of driving with a suspended license.

Both Gonzalez and Briscoe were transported to the Independence County Jail. Briscoe’s bond is $250,000, while Gonzalez faces a $100,000 bond.