Driverless Arkansas patrol vehicle rolls into creek with suspect, dog inside

An Arkansas patrol vehicle traveled off a road and into a creek without a driver while an arrestee and a police dog were inside it last month, authorities said.

Hot Spring County Sheriff Mike Cash said a sheriff's deputy had arrested Christopher Flowers, 27, after the man drove his ATV away from authorities and into a creek about 2 a.m. May 31. Flowers and the dog were in separate sections of the 2016 Ford Explorer's back seat when the deputy got out of the car to assist a tow truck driver who was pulling the ATV from the creek, Cash said.

The deputy left the sport utility vehicle parked on a bridge on Arkansas 84, about 3 miles west of Bismarck, with the engine and air conditioner running, according to the sheriff. While the deputy was helping the tow truck driver about 3 a.m., the pair "looked up and saw the car coming over the culvert into the creek," Cash said.

The sheriff said Flowers and the dog were both unhurt after the 6-foot drop into the creek, although authorities took Flowers to a hospital as a precaution. Flowers and the tow truck driver confirmed that the patrol car was in park when it fell, Cash said.

"We've had trouble with this vehicle before," the sheriff said.

The Explorer has been serviced for similar problems on two previous occasions, he said. In June last year, the sheriff's office had the transmission replaced, and in April it was worked on because a deputy reported that the transmission "slamm[ed] in and out of gear," while the car was supposed to be in drive, Cash said.

The SUV was sitting at the jail Monday afternoon, waiting to be worked on, authorities said. Cash said he doubted that the vehicle would be used again after the fall.

Cash, who assumed the role of sheriff this year, said he inherited a fleet of damaged vehicles when he got the job.

State Desk on 06/11/2017

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