Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A Tucumcari man was booked into the county jail on two felonies after being accused of fleeing police in a car on city streets at speeds approaching 100 mph while a child was inside the vehicle.
Dillon Carmichael, 20, was charged with aggravated fleeing a law-enforcement office, abuse of a child (first offense; placed in a dangerous situation), speeding, no insurance, driving while license suspended and failure to register vehicle.
The child-abuse count is a third-degree felony that can lead to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The aggravated-fleeing count is a fourth-degree felony that can result in 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The other charges are misdemeanors.
According to a complaint filed April 27 in magistrate court by Quay County sheriff's deputy Tyler Davis, Davis tried to make a traffic stop earlier that day at West Main Street and Route 66 Boulevard after a Chrysler vehicle passed him at a high rate of speed. The Chrysler turned north onto 15th Street and stopped.
Tyler said as he approached the vehicle, the driver accelerated and turned east onto Main Street to flee.
Tyler stated the chase went east on Main Street, south on Fifth Street, east on Center Street, south on Fourth Street, east on Hancock Avenue, north on Third Street, west on High Street and stopped at Fifth and High streets, where Carmichael was arrested.
Tyler stated in his complaint his speed on Main Street during the pursuit reached 104 mph, and one of the Chrysler’s tires came apart on Fourth Street and almost struck a pedestrian. Another sheriff’s deputy assisted in the pursuit on High Street.
As Tyler escorted the suspect back to a squad car, Carmichael said he ran because he did not have a driver’s license and that the vehicle was not registered or insured.
A woman who was in the Chrysler during the pursuit told officers she told Carmichael not to run, but he did not listen. She said she repeatedly told him to stop the car. The deputy also advised Tyler a girl under 18 years old was in the vehicle during the chase.
Magistrate Judge Timothy O’Quinn found probable cause for Carmichael’s arrest and placed him in an initial non-bond hold in the Quay County Detention Center.
District Judge Albert Mitchell on Wednesday ordered Carmichael to be placed under house arrest and be fitted with an ankle monitor. Mitchell also forbid Carmichael from having drugs and alcohol in his home and that he contact his attorney weekly.
Attorney Brett Phelps of Las Vegas, who represented Carmichael during the hearing Wednesday, said his client “freaked out in the moment” during the initial police stop and has an anxiety issue, according to online court documents.
Phelps could not be immediately reached for comment.