Mitchell D. Teconchuk

     Charges are pending against 21 year old MITCHELL D. TECONCHUK of rural Mountain Home after he was arrested Tuesday evening, December 27th, following a vehicle pursuit.

     At approximately 4:40 PM yesterday, the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office in Gainesville, Missouri that they had officers in pursuit of a Red Nissan Juke heading South from their county toward Arkansas on State Highway 201. The driver of the vehicle was the suspect in a theft that had occurred in Ozark County.

     Ozark County officers discontinued their pursuit when the suspect vehicle reached Arkansas. A short time later, Baxter County Sheriff’s Corporal Kristofer Savino met the suspect vehicle headed South bound well in excess of the posted speed limit. As Corporal Savino turned around to attempt to apprehend the vehicle, the driver accelerated, continuing toward Mountain Home. Deputy Chuck Menschik was also in the area. As the suspect approached his position, the suspect turned around and headed back North. Corporal Savino and Deputy Menschik then pursued the suspect North bound on State Highway 201. The suspect reached high speeds and was passing other vehicles in no passing zones, nearly causing collisions.

   The pursuing officers lost sight of the suspect vehicle as it crossed over the Pigeon Creek bridge, heading North at high speed. As officers continued North bound, they came across the suspect vehicle and saw that it had crashed near the intersection of State Highway 201 N and Baxter CR 484. This was at approximately 5:11 PM.  Officers found the driver, identified as MITCHELL TECONCHUK, and took him into custody at the accident scene. TECONCHUk complained of injury, and an ambulance was dispatched.   He was transported to Baxter Regional Medical Center in the ambulance.   He was later released and taken to the Baxter County Detention Center where he was booked in at 7:48 PM.

     TECONCHUK is on parole with the Arkansas Department of Corrections. He will be charged in Baxter County with various offenses related to the pursuit, and he is also expected to be extradited to Ozark County, Missouri later to face charges there. TECONCHUK is currently being held without bond. Formal charges will likely be filed later today.

/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff