UPDATE: TWO INJURED IN BUTLER COUNTY WRECK WERE INVOLVED IN PURSUIT WITH POLICE

Updating a story we brought to you yesterday, two people who were injured in a wreck in Butler County had allegedly been involved in a pursuit with police.

KWOC News spoke with Lieutenant Josh Stewart with the Poplar Bluff Police Department about the incident.

JOSH STEWART:

On Wednesday afternoon, around 4:45 pm, a suspected theft from Instapawn, located at 64 Highway NN, was reported to the Butler County Sheriff’s Department. As the suspects left the business, the business owner, Curtis Phelps, began following the suspect vehicle. Due to officer’s locations, and the direction in which the suspects were traveling, the Poplar Bluff Police Department was requested to attempt contact.

A short time later, an Officer of the Poplar Bluff Police Department observed the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop along South Broadway. As the officer approached the vehicle, the driver accelerated in an attempt to flee. The officer gave chase, as the suspect vehicle traveled to Butler County Road 309. While traveling south along County Road 309, the driver of the vehicle, later identified as Frederick Sparks Jr., 42 of Poplar Bluff, lost control of the vehicle.

The vehicle, a 2001 Mercury Sable, subsequently left the roadway and overturned multiple times, ejecting both occupants. Both Sparks and his passenger, Sheena Gray, 33 of Poplar Bluff, were airlifted to a Memphis hospital. Sparks and Gray were found to have warrants for their arrest. Additionally, while seeking treatment in Memphis, Sparks was found to possess a quantity of suspected methamphetamine.

The suspected methamphetamine has been seized by Memphis area law enforcement and will be recovered by Poplar Bluff investigators at a later time.

AUTHORITIES IN BUTLER COUNTY ARREST AREA MAN ON FELONY METH CHARGE

A Poplar Bluff man was taken into custody Thursday on a felony drug charge.

Officials with the Missouri State Highway Patrol tell KWOC News that 41 year old Brian Hill was arrested Thursday morning on a charge of felony possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine.

Hill is also facing charges of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while revoked.

He was held at the Butler County Jail following the arrest.

FIREARM DEER SEASON BEGINS THIS WEEKEND

Hunters across Southeast Missouri are getting ready for this weekend and the beginning of firearm deer season.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the November firearms portion of deer season will run from November 10th to November 20th.

Hunters can only take one antlered deer during the entire firearms season. Each county also limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the season as well.

Officials say that if you harvest a deer from certain counties in the Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone during the opening weekend, you must take your deer to a designated CWD sampling station.

You can find more information online at mdc.mo.gov.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI MAN TO SPEND LIFE BEHIND BARS AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO CHILD MOLESTATION

A Southeast Missouri man is set to spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of child molestation.

According to Missouri Case Net, Chad Anderson, of Essex, entered a guilty plea earlier this week to a felony charge of 1st degree child molestation.

He was sentenced on Wednesday to life in the Missouri Department of Corrections without parole.

FREEZE WARNING TO GO INTO EFFECT TONIGHT IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

Colder temperatures are on the way and this has prompted a freeze warning to be issued for much of our listening area.

According to the National Weather Service, a freeze warning will be in effect from 9 pm Friday to 9 am Saturday for Dunklin and Pemiscot Counties in Southeast Missouri and all of Northeast Arkansas.

Weather officials say that temperatures are expected to drop into the 20’s tonight and these conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation.

With temperatures getting below freezing officials are reminding residents to be safe with their heating devices.

Keep anything that can burn at least three-feet away from heating equipment such as furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, or portable space heaters. Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters. Never use extension cords or power strips to power space heaters and never use your oven to heat your home.

We have more heating safety tips available at KWOC.com.

· Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters, or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions

· Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional

· Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed

· Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters

· Make sure fireplaces have a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.

· Install and maintain Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms to avoid the risk of CO poisoning.

· If you smell gas in your gas heater, do not light the appliance. Leave the home immediately and call 911.

· Test smoke alarms monthly.

POPLAR BLUFF MAN FACING METH AND MARIJUANA CHARGES OUT OF WAYNE COUNTY

Authorities in Wayne County have arrested an area man on meth and marijuana charges.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 45 year old James Owens, of Poplar Bluff, was taken into custody Thursday morning on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine.

Owens was also arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia.

Following his arrest, Owens was held at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

POPLAR BLUFF TO BE DESIGNATED AS A VETERAN FRIENDLY COMMUNITY TODAY

An event will be held today where the city of Poplar Bluff will be designated as a “Veteran Friendly Community”

According to the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, the event will begin at 11 am at the Veteran’s Wall in front of the Black River Coliseum.

Poplar Bluff had to meet a set of criteria to qualify for the designation and will be only the second city in Missouri to achieve the honor.