Paintsville residents arrested after police pursuit

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

INEZ — Two Paintsville residents were arrested in Martin County Jan. 26 after the stolen vehicle they were in crashed head on into a Martin County constable’s vehicle while trying to flee from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

John L. Strong, 32, is charged with speeding 26 miles per hour or greater over the speed limit; first-degree fleeing or evading police in a motor vehicle; operating on a suspended or revoked operator’s license; failure to appear; resisting arrest; contempt of court libel/slander resistance to order; operating a motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance, aggravating circumstances; first-degree wanton endangerment of a police officer; receiving stolen property $1,000 or more but less than $10,000; drug paraphernalia-buy/possess; and first-degree possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.

Rikki L. Spradlin, 36, is charged with public intoxication of a controlled substance excluding alcohol; resisting arrest; first-degree possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The pursuit started in Johnson County when officers attempted to do a traffic stop on a suspected stolen vehicle. Instead of pulling over, Strong, who was driving the vehicle, sped away, according to the arrest report.

The arrest citation said Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Arms observed a black 2005 Hyundai Excel on Ky. 1559 in the Stambaugh community with the rear license plate not illuminated. When he ran the registration plate, the car came back as being stolen, the report said.

The vehicle was reported and entered as stolen on Jan. 15, the report said, and when Arms activated his emergency warning equipment to initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle accelerated rapidly and began fleeing from the officer in a “very reckless manner at a high rate of speed using both lanes of travel,” the report said.

The vehicle continued on Ky. 1559, making a left-hand turn onto Hilltop Road and continuing onto U.S. 23, where it headed north toward Lawrence County at speeds in excess of 85 miles per hour, the report said.

The vehicle then made a right-hand turn and began traveling east on Ky. 645 and continued into Inez, where Martin County Constable Tony Preece joined the pursuit. The car made a U-turn to go back west, at which time a collision occurred between Strong’s and Preece’s vehicles, the report said. Strong continued fleeing on flat tires until Johnson County deputies were able to successfully block the vehicle in and bring it to a stop.

Strong struggled with officers and had to be forcibly handcuffed to be restrained, the report said.

During a search of the vehicle, a glass pipe typically used for smoking methamphetamine was discovered in the center dash area along with a torch-style lighter, a hypodermic syringe that contained a liquid suspected of being methamphetamine, and a spoon with residue, the report said.

Strong’s license came back as suspended with one prior DUI, and the officer suspected him to be under the influence of methamphetamine, the report said.

Strong was taken to Paintsville ARH, where implied consent was read, and he declined his right to attempt to contact and communicate with an attorney, the report said. He also refused a requested blood test, according to the report. After Strong’s Miranda warning was read, he stated he was unaware of the methamphetamine in the vehicle and that he had bought the car from someone for $1,200.

Spradlin was a passenger in the vehicle and refused to get out of the vehicle, and deputies had to pull her from the vehicle to place her into custody, the report said.

K-9 Boss hit multiple times during an open-air search of the vehicle, and the officer located a .22-caliber rifle between the driver and passenger seats, the report said, noting that Spradlin is a convicted felon.

The officer also located a loaded hypodermic needle in the passenger door handle area of the car, the report said. Spradlin was read her Miranda rights and agreed to speak with officers, saying that it was meth in the needle but it was not hers, the report said.

Both Strong and Spradlin were taken into custody and transported to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Johnson County.

The BSN contacted Preece Thursday and he said he was shaken up and sore, but that he was okay.

Preece said he was on Rt. 645 because he knew there was a stolen car coming that way and he fell behind them in his 2017 Chevy Silverado pickup truck.

“They hit me and kept going,” Preece said. “They were driving on flats and they were stopped at the underpass. As a Constable we drive our own vehicles. I got a USDA grant and raised the rest of the money so I will be getting a new 2021 Dodge Charger. I’m glad I was in the truck when that happened or it could have been a lot worse. They are also pending charges in Martin County.”