Pursuit near Passaic lands two in jail

Robert Douglas

Eric L. Flood

 On 9/11/2012 at approximately 4:15 a.m., the Bates County Sheriff’s Office received a report of suspicious people in a vehicle with no license plates. The report came from Adrian Police Department. The Adrian Police Officer first saw the vehicle in Adrian. They then found the vehicle parked on Coop Road. The suspects had a strap attached from the truck to a pole that is beside the railroad tracks. The vehicle then fled the area. 

As Deputies were responding to the area they located the vehicle at the intersection in Passaic. The Deputies attempted to initiate a vehicle stop on the vehicle. The driver failed to yield to the attempts by the Deputies. The pursuit left Passaic traveling westbound on F Highway. Shortly after leaving Passaic, the vehicle started leaving the roadway driving through fences and bean fields. After leaving the field the vehicle then began to travel eastbound back through Passaic. The driver then drove down CR 6004 where he continued to run off the roadway into the fence and into the fields. He continued to drive into the fields for several hundred feet then would return to the roadway.

At one point during the pursuit the driver exited a field driving onto the roadway attempting to strike a patrol car head on. The Deputy was forced to leave the roadway striking the ditch causing damage to the patrol vehicle. The suspect vehicle continued east on 6004 and continued to drive through fences and fields. While in the field the suspect drove into a barn causing extensive damage to the truck and barn. The two suspects in the vehicle exited the vehicle and ran on foot. The driver was immediately chased down by the two Deputies and a police K9 approximately 100 yard from the vehicle. The passenger was located lying in a patch of grass approximately 3 hours after the pursuit. The vehicle the two subjects were in was later identified as stolen out of Pettis County.

The driver was identified as Robert F. Douglas, 36, from Appleton City. Douglas advised the deputies that he was just released from prison approximately 6 months ago and was currently on Probation and Parole. Douglas was charged with Resisting Arrest; Class D Felony, Assault on Law Enforcement; Class A Felony, Property Damage; Class D Felony and his bond was set at $40,000.00 Cash or Surety. Douglas also advised that during the pursuit he was injecting himself with methamphetamines.

The passenger was identified as Eric L Flood, 33, from Warsaw. Flood advised the deputies that he met Mr. Douglas while they were in prison together. Flood was charged with Resisting Arrest a class A misdemeanor and his bond was set at $2500.00 Cash or Surety.

Additional Charges are expected as more property owners are contacted about damage to fences. Multiple police agencies have contacted the Bates County Sheriff’s Office advising that these two subjects were considered Persons of Interest in multiple cases of burglaries, vehicle thefts and police pursuits.