June 29, 2019

www.eldoradonews.com

Bond has been set at $150,000 for an El Dorado man who faces multiple felony charges in connection to a police chase in which he had allegedly commandeered a police car and struck another police car with two officers inside.

Skylar M.W. Schafer, 23, 552 Cooper Drive, appeared Friday in 35th Judicial District Court on three counts of aggravated assault upon a certified law enforcement officer or an employee of a correctional facility, theft of property (auto) and four counts of first-degree criminal mischief.

Schafer also faces misdemeanor charges of fleeing on foot and resisting arrest.

At approximately 1:20 a.m. on June 25, officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area College and Robin and while en route, they passed Schafer as he walked north on College near Chula Vista.

After learning that Schafer was on parole because of a past offense(s), officers attempted to make contact with him in regard to the shots fired call.

Police said Schafer ignored commands to stop and when threatened with the use of a pepper-spray gun, Schafer told officers to “leave me alone. I’m not doing anything.”

An officer said he trained his pepper-spray gun on Schafer’s face and Schafer dropped a bicycle and a jacket and began running east on Robin Road.

The officer said he then fired the pepper-spray gun, striking Schafer in the back four times.

Schafer did not appear to be affected by the shots — the gun shoots “pepper balls” — and he continued running, police said.

A second officer arrived on the scene and gave chase through some yards in the area.

Police said Schafer threw a white item over a fence and walked away from the second officer, who fired three to four shots from his pepper-spray gun and struck Schafer, again to no avail.

Schafer began running again and headed north toward Robin Road, police said.

The first officer said that as he rounded the corner of a house in the area in an attempt to cut off a potential path for Schafer onto College, he saw the second officer yelling in the direction of his patrol car.

The officer said he heard the engine rev in the backup officer’s patrol car and he then saw Schafer behind the wheel.

The second officer opened the door of the vehicle with his service gun drawn and Schafer accelerated, dragging the second officer, who was still holding onto the door frame, several feet down the street, according to a police report.

Officers said Schafer drove west on Robin Road and turned south onto College.

The first officer said Schafer stopped next to his patrol car, which was parked on College.

The officer said he then ran to his patrol car, aimed his service gun at Schafer and ordered Schafer to exit the other patrol unit.

Police said Schafer ignored the commands and headed south on College in the patrol car, traveling at high speeds and briefly turning into a gravel parking lot at the intersection of Eighth Street.

The two officers attempted to catch up to Schafer and were joined by other officers in the pursuit.

Police said that when Schafer reached the area of College and Mount Holly Road, he cut across the property of Bailey Funeral Home, 400 N. College.

The officers who initially chased Schafer said he appeared to be stuck on the grassy lawn of the funeral home but he circled the funeral home and accelerated toward them.

One of the officers began to exit the passenger side of the patrol unit but he was quickly pulled back inside by the other officer, police said.

They said Schafer then struck the passenger side of their patrol car, damaging both vehicles.

Schafer then headed north on College at speeds that reached at least 70 miles per hour and turned east onto the Morning Star Cemetery access road, just south of Casa Linda, according to a police report.

Officers said the pursuit ended when the patrol car Schafer was driving stalled on the steep incline of a hill on the access road.

They said Schafer attempted to accelerate in reverse but the car did not budge from the incline.

Police said Schafer did not comply with commands to exit the vehicle and two officers used police batons to break the driver and passenger windows in the patrol car “to gain access to Schafer.”

Officers said Schafer resisted arrest and when they forcefully pulled him from the car, he fell down the hill.

Police said they then struggled with him for a few minutes, delivering several blows to Schafer’s left side, before taking him into custody.

Schafer and two officers who had fought with him were treated for minor injuries at Medical Center of South Arkansas.

Officers also said they recovered a white mask in the area where they had earlier seen Schafer throw an item over a fence.

Police noted that the stolen patrol car and another patrol car began “leaking fluids” as they were chasing Schafer north on College.

There was no further information available about the initial report of shots fired.

Burglary arrests

A deputy with the Union County Sheriff’s Office reportedly crashed through the ceiling of a local residence June 24 while assisting El Dorado police in the arrest of two teens for burglary.

Earl S. Heard, 18, of the 400 block of Louise, and a 16-year-old boy were arrested June 24 in connection to two residential burglaries.

Each was arrested on two counts of residential burglary, three counts of theft of property, first-degree criminal mischief, criminal trespass and engaging in violent and two counts of criminal group activity.

Heard and the boy face additional charges of carrying a weapon and possession of a handgun by a minor, respectively.

At 12:22 p.m. Jun 24, police responded to a report of a burglary at a residence in the 1300 block of West Faulkner.

Four rifles, two necklaces, a bag of change and a cable converter box were reported stolen.

Nearly 20 minutes later, while still at the the West Faulkner residence, officers received a call about a burglary in progress at a residence in the 1200 block of West Elm.

A witness told police that two suspects, later determined to be Heard and the 16-year-old boy, were still inside the residence.

Police said they saw a male pull back a curtain in a rear bedroom and upon seeing officers, the male closed the curtain

A short time later, Heard exited the back door and he was taken into custody without incident, according to a police report.

During a search incident to arrest, police said they removed a pocketknife from Heard’s left, front pocket.

Police said the tip of the knife was broken, indicating that the suspects may have used the knife to break into the residence.

When asked if anyone else was inside the residence, Heard said no, according to a police report.

While clearing the residence of any additional suspects, police — with the assistance of a UCSO deputy — found the 16-year-old crouching in a back corner of the attic.

As officers were taking the boy into custody, the sheriff’s deputy fell through the ceiling of the attic and landed on the first floor of the back bedroom, according to a police report.

A police report did not indicate if the deputy was injured in the fall. Officers said the ceiling was damaged.

Police said they recovered two handguns — one of which was underneath some pillows in a chair in the back bedroom and the other underneath some pillows on the couch in the living room — from the West Elm residence.

Police also said they recovered the items that were reported stolen from the West Faulkner residence from a storage shed at a vacant residence in the 1300 block of West Elm.

Police noted that the vacant house was just west of the West Faulkner residence.

Also found in the front yard of the vacant residence was a white glove that matched a glove that was found inside the house on West Faulkner, according to a police report.

The teens were subsequently charged in connection to both burglaries.