Man tries to steal trailer, dies in wreck, deputies say

A Jacksonville man died early Saturday morning in a single-vehicle accident after purportedly trying to steal a trailer, according to the Pulaski County sheriff's office.

Witness John Poppa of Cabot told police he saw Larry Simpson, 61, of Jacksonville attempting to steal a trailer at 3119 E. Cleland Road in Cabot, according to a Pulaski County sheriff's report.

Poppa confronted Simpson and another man who then got into a blue GMC truck and drove west on East Cleland Road, the report states.

Poppa told police he tried to follow the men but the vehicle was going more than 100 miles per hour, according to the report.

Deputies found a broken utility pole on the south side of West Cleland Road and vehicle tracks that led to the wrecked truck, which was on its side in the woods north of West Cleland Road and west of Jack Duncan Road, police said.

Simpson was found dead at the base of a tree that had been struck by the vehicle, according to the police report.

The other man was not in the truck, and police searched the area but didn't find him, the report stated.

The man is described as white with light-colored, medium-length hair.

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