12/11/25 Archer City, TX – Traffic Stop – Suspect Put In Back Of Police Car – Escapes Restraints And Kicks Out Cage – Steals Police Car – PIT Maneuver – Crash – Apprehended

Three individuals are in custody following the theft of an Archer City police unit and a high-speed chase that ended with a pit maneuver executed by the suspect’s brother, an Archer County deputy.

The incident began in the early hours of Wednesday, December 10, when Sheriff Jack Curd reported that a deputy conducted a traffic stop near the school in Archer City. Sheriff Curd stated that Richard “Rick” Fleitman was placed in the back of a police unit and handcuffed, but managed to escape his restraints and steal the vehicle.

According to Sheriff Curd, Fleitman’s brother, who’s an Archer County deputy, used pit maneuvers to finally wreck the unit on a gravel road, east of Windthorst in Clay County.

Sheriff Curd explained that Fleitman kicked open the police unit’s cage door, crawled through the cage, and drove off, leading the deputy on a high-speed chase. Fleitman was already wanted on warrants from Archer County and Tarrant County.

After the chase, Fleitman was apprehended and remains in the Young County jail on charges including possession of methamphetamine, theft of a police car, and felony evading. Two other individuals, Frederick “Davy” Steinberger, 63, and Malea Hill, 23, were also arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine, each with a bond set at $20,000.

Sheriff Curd noted that all three were in the vehicle that the deputy initially stopped.