A slow-speed pursuit ended in arrest for a Rock Springs man last week. According to Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell, suspicion of a drunk driver was called in on November 21st near a Trailer Court west of Rock Springs. Deputies responded and saw the suspect vehicle parked on a dirt road. When the deputy activated his emergency lights, the 1985 Dodge pickup took off, driving up and down the streets of the trailer court at speeds of 10 to 30 miles per hour. The vehicle drove out into sagebrush and back onto the roads and across lawns and driveways during the slow-pursuit. The pickup nearly collided with multiple vehicles and did succeed in hitting a garbage can and a police vehicle. Road spikes deflated three of the pickup’s tires causing it to slowly stop just inches away from another vehicle. 40-year-old Phillip J. Smith was arrested and has been charged with DWUI and Attempting to Elude Police Officers, among other charges. Open and unopened containers of alcohol were found in the vehicle. Officers from Rock Springs Police Department and Wyoming Highway Patrol also assisted in the intense low-speed chase.
