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Updated Saturday, October 10, 2009 7:13 PM
Details emerge on Friday police chase
BY MARY JANE FARMER
HERALD DEMOCRAT
VAN ALSTYNE -- A chase that began with a gas drive-off of less than $50 from the Sherman Walmart gas station, Murphy Oil, became more serious when the suspect, Clifton Eldon Middleton, 22, allegedly tried to run his pickup over a Melissa police officer who had laid out spikes across U.S. Highway 75. It covered five counties, ending in a water-filled ditch, near Corsicana, south of Dallas.
Van Alstyne Police Chief Robert Spindle said they got the call about the gas drive-off with a description of the vehicle. Two officers, Lt. Tim Barnes and Officer Chad Vessels, spotted the vehicle going south on U.S. Highway 75 and got in behind it, Barnes in an unmarked, police-equipped car, and Vessels in a marked patrol car.
Van Alstyne police were not told initially what the theft offense was, Barnes said, only that the suspect was being followed by a witness to the theft and the description of the vehicle.
Middleton declined to stop for the patrol cars' flashing lights and, instead, kept going at regular highway speeds while talking on his cell phone.
Spindle said that, at that point, the original class C misdemeanor theft offense escalated to a state-jail felony offense of evading arrest or detention with a motor vehicle.
Van Alstyne dispatch called ahead to notify other agencies along the highway of the pursuit in progress, still not classified as a "high speed pursuit."
Melissa Police Chief Duane Smith was the first to set spikes across the roadway. Barnes said the driver avoided the spike strip but that's when, police contend, Middleton's pickup missed Smith by less than one foot. That's also when the level of offense again escalated, this time possibly to aggravated assault on a public servant.
Barnes and Spindle said the assault offense was the reason police, including then a Melissa officer, stayed in pursuit, that they would have had dispatch call it ahead and returned to the city.
Afterward, Barnes said, they attempted to stay in communications with the agencies along the way, and that was at times successful through an inter-communication radio frequency many agencies utilize. However, other agencies don't carry it and communications between them broke down.
The chase went down U.S. 75, then, in the Metroplex, avoiding several spike strips laid by various agencies. Speeds were averaging between 60-70 mphs. After getting onto the "High 5" highway interchange twice, Spindle said, Middleton headed southeast on Interstate 45 through Ellis County and into Navarro County.
After leaving the Metroplex, Barnes said, the driver stepped speeds up to, at times, 95 mph, while talking on his cell phone and smoking cigarettes.
After winding through several residential streets in Corsicana, that city's police and Navarro County deputies joined the pursuit, which had left the highway and gotten onto a country road. Barnes said that the pickup was running on one tire which had connected with a spike strip, but was still going about 40-50 mph.
On that road, one of the officers driving a heavy-duty truck got ahead of the pickup and slowed it down more. Barnes said that allowed them to get two more vehicles beside it. Vessels then, using the police bumper on his cruiser, bumped the pickup from behind. That and the flat tire caused the pickup to go off the roadway. It came to a peaceful halt in a water-filled ditch.
Several officers got Middleton out and onto the ground. After a brisk search of him, they got him in the back of a patrol car and whisked him off to a holding cell in Navarro County.
Spindle said Friday afternoon that they would wait until Middleton was arraigned in the county before bringing him back. Van Alstyne police arrived with him about 7 p.m. and booked him into the Grayson County Jail.
The pursuit covered about 200 miles, Barnes reported.
In Grayson County, he is jailed on a count of evading arrest or detention with a motor vehicle ($10,000 bail set), and two outstanding warrants issued in Galveston County, his charging him with theft between $50-$500, to which bail was set at $1,500 on each for a total of $13,000 bail or surety bonds required.
Barnes said it will be up to Melissa police to file an aggravated assault on peace officer charge against Middleton, and that other agencies might be filing charges.
The gas drive-off amount in Sherman was less than $50, reported Sherman police Sgt. Chris Mullins.
 Comments ... 17 found!
Less than 50$ : 10/15/2009
I am glad we have law enforcement in VA as well as every other town. Getting tag numbers may not have solved the problem and not capturing him may have allowed his crime to esculate in the future. With all that being said......It was still a multi county chase putting NUMEROUS lives in danger over $50.00. The Officers DO HAVE a choice to chase or not to chase. They should have chose not to chase in this case. Hypothetically....WHAT IF a bystander had been killed???? How would you feel then Boys in Blue??? Oh wait, you always push the blame off onto the citizens and hide behind your badges so you would feel fine!! RIGHT!!!!
Shermanite
Police Chase : 10/13/2009
Hm, just wondering what would have happened if the little meathead had gotten away without penalty. Perhaps, he would have made his way into a home, robbed, or even hurt someone...no foul, no penalty. So who do you call when someone breaks the law? Channel 12??
Cynic
cop one : 10/13/2009
dear cop one--getting a tag number does not give your the drivers name--all it will do is give your the registered owners name of the vehicle. and a majority of the time the crook does not transfer the title to the car when he or she buys it. and of what use is suspending a driver's license. they drive without one anyway because they have warrants and can't renew theirs without being arrested. stop and think before you voice your brain dead opinion cop one.
anothercitizenspeaks
Goold Old Boys? : 10/13/2009
I think that "sick of the good old boys" needs to move back to Oak Lawn or wherever he came from if he don't like the way the police or city personeel conduct themselves up here! He can take "thinking out loud" with him. This is the same type of moron who would scream and whine and cry that police didn't do their job if someone had stolen something from him instead and they didn't chase him down! What a loser!
Go Back!
Police Chase : 10/13/2009
Watched it on Headline News and just want to say Good Job to all that were involved in the chase. I hope the Police Chief does file charges on the dumb guy... GOOD JOB!!!!!!!
CH
Police Chase : 10/12/2009
It is easy to critique the officers’ decision to involve themselves in a police chase when we have the luxury of 48 hours to consider the incident along with some detail of the circumstances surrounding the case. These officers, had to make a quick decision as to whether to pursue based on what was probably limited information. If they violated their departmental policies then disciplinary action is appropriate but in the meantime I tip my hat to their initiative and the fact that no motorists were injured.
LH
Wondering : 10/12/2009
This story makes me think this kid did this as some kind of a stupid dare. A legal speed, multi-county chase where he's on his cell phone and having a nicotine fix? This guy's obviously not worried about getting arrested, just worried about getting on the news when he does. Not only does this kid need jail, but therapy. To all those police officers out there: Thank you for protecting our way of life. Sometimes, I worry about what this world is coming to with the corrupt system, but I'd sure be terrified if there were no system at all.
Wondering
keystone : 10/12/2009
I will feel bad for you if one of your friends or family die in a 300 mile car chase.I have insurance for my property. I don't wont anyone to die trying to get it back.I don't care if it's the devil himself.You need to know better than that.
thinking outloud
Start thinking : 10/12/2009
Getting a tag number does not guarantee the person can be caught . . . the vehicle might be stolen. The person behind the wheel put hundreds of people at risk, not the police who should have the authority to shoot out the radiator or tires on the vehicle in such instances. Had the highway patrol entered the chase, this is always a possibility. We need to support our law enforcement.
Common Sense
Chase : 10/12/2009
Barney Fife...Barney Fife. Enough said. The VA Cops and the department remind me of a Barney Fife police force.
Get real
Police chase : 10/12/2009
sounds like a job well done if criminals or idiots (not sure this kid is probably both) run from the law they need to no they will be caught---if not you will see even more of these type crimes.....ridiculous was right it was ridiculous---however not from the cops standpoint, they were just doing the job they were hired to do
good job guys in blue
Right on : 10/12/2009
I totally agree! I love how people want to blame the police for the actions of a criminal. Last time I checked, I thought that's what policmen did - uphold the law. These brave men did exactly what they should have in not letting the piece of crap escape and hurt someone else like he tried to do the Melissa police chief. That action alone makes me say - book em Dano!
Mind your Ps and Qs
police chase : 10/12/2009
Dear thinking out loud and sick of the Good Old Boys---why don't you hockey pucks shut your yap and left the officers do their job?? here you have a wanted criminal with outstanding warrants and you two fools think the police shouldn't enforce the law?? what happens when the bad guy comes and steals the stereo out of your car and a witness sees this, follows the bad guy and calls the police? do you want the cops to help and chase the b****ard down or do nothing? And what does Spindle living in Fannin County have to do with anything?? How can enforcing state law not be in the best interest of Van Alstyne residents?? Theft is theft regardless of where initial offense happened. Seems to me that Sick of the Good Old Boys has an axe to grind with the Chief of Police and Lt. Barnes. If thats the case get yourself put on the agenda for the next city council meeting and go crybaby to them. thinking out loud--stop thinking out loud--your not qualified. getting a tag number and passing it on does not deter crime. Clifton Middleton is the one who risked lives when he refused to stop, not the police officers. He was the one who tried to run over the Melissa Chief of Police. Middleton and Middleton alone is responsible for his actions, not the police. Thankfully no one was hurt during this pursuit.
anothercitizenspeaks
COP ONE : 10/12/2009
The officer should of got a tag number. Then he could of called off the pursuite. Run the tag through ncis, get the driver's name. Then suspend his driver's license. Stop and think befor you react Van Alstyne police officer's.
Shame
Blame the criminal : 10/12/2009
The police don't know if someone running from them is guilty of a lot more than what has been observed. What kind of crazy man would run like that for a small violation? I'm just glad nobody was seriously hurt. Put the blame where it belongs -- on the criminal. Don't encourage more bad behavior by trying to blame cops for doing their job. Sounds like they did it well, too.
FriendlyTxn
keystone : 10/12/2009
Why risk all thought's life's for stealing gas.Get a tag number and pass it on,you guy's make policemen look stupid.
thinking outloud
Ridiculous : 10/11/2009
This was a ridiculous pursuit. I hope that the City Council will demand a full investigation by someone outside the city and not leave it up to City Manager Herrington who always looks the other way when Spindle or one of his boys, in particular Barnes, does something ridiculous. Maybe if the Police Chief was someone who actually lived in Van Alstyne and not Fannin County the actions taken by this public safety agency would be more in the best interest of the VA residents.
Sick of the Good Old Boys
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