Dogtown Wire News - Car pursuit starts in Rose City, ends with arrest

Car pursuit starts in Rose City, ends with arrest

Written by DJ Smith

Friday, 18 July 2008


Anthony Jones and Lynn Godfrey work on the east side of the bait shop damaged by this morning's car crash

Because of the sharp eyes of a boyfriend and the good judgment of North Little Rock Police officer, a man now sits in jail on multiple charges without anyone getting hurt or killed.

Sgt Terry Kuykendall said that Brandon D. Marcelis, 18, of North Little Rock was arrested this morning and charged with aggravated robbery, theft of property, theft by receiving, fleeing, leaving the scene of an accident, no drivers license, and no seat belt.

But not before police were led on two chases; one by car and one on foot.

Officer Ron Messer was on morning patrol in Rose city when he was flagged down by a resident who told Messer his girlfriend’s car had been stolen last night and he knew where it was.

Messer found the described car driving east on E. Second St., came up behind it and turned on his lights and flashers after the car sped away and turned west onto East Broadway Street.

But, when Messer realized the speed the car was going at, the fact that many cars were driving on Broadway during the early morning rush hour the car was passing on the double yellow line, and the construction of Broadway added up to a dangerous situation.

“When Messer realized it was an extremely dangerous pursuit, he terminated that himself,” said Kuykendall. “I give kudos to him realizing the danger was there and not waiting for a supervisor to actually terminate the pursuit, but taking that upon himself do to.”


The car pushed the wall out as it came to a stop inside the bait shop at the northwest corner of Palm and East Broadway streets.

The car went out of control and smashed into the west side of bait shop on the northwest corner of Palm And East Broadway streets and coming to a rest after pushing the east wall out, Said Messer in his report.

He then fled the scene and the police used the help of the Sherwood Police Department K-9 Unit to finally take Marcelis into custody, Kuykendall said.

It turns out that the woman had reported she had been robbed at gunpoint at a laundrymat in Rose City where she was told to hand over her cash and her keys.

Messer sits in the Pulaski County Detention Center without bail.

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8 Comments



One Who Cares July 20, 2008	The Pursuit of that car started in another part of town. We do not have any addresses on East 2nd Street. Our bountry starts at Balcuum Pike ( Highway 165 ) and East Broadway at the railroad We have enough of our own problems, don't add to it. Just wanted to clear that up. Thanks, One Who Cares


Turtledove July 21, 2008	This is the last time I will be logging in to Dogtown Wire. I had really high hopes that the wire would be real competition for local newspapers that have grown complacent, indifferent to their readers and have lost any vision for the future of news. I truly thought the Dogtown Wire was the answer. It saddens me to read that this leadership is just as complacent and indifferent to its small, but growing following. If I want to read a gossip rag or short news quips from other sources, I will just go straight to the source. There are millions of sites out there on which I can find that. We don't need another Argenta blog... no matter how successful the original is. DJ is an award-winning writer who truly cares about truth and the people in the community. The Wire was extremely lucky to have someone of his talent. I wish the wire success. I had faith in your vision, but it seems so diluted now. As one of your loyal readers, my time is valuable too. You must not feel the same way about my time if you are going to offer me crumbs when you drew me in by promising me a hearty meal. Where's your uniqueness now and the in-depth info that set you apart? Happy trails, Dogtown Wire. I hope your succeed... just sorry it has to be without me as a loyal reader.


Scott Miller July 21, 2008	Keep coming back. This site was never intended to be an Argenta News, nor was it intended to be a nothing but well written in depth news stories. There must be a balance and that balance will change over time as this site matures and grows. Turtledove, if you want more in depth stories, write some and e-mail us, we will publish them.


Turtledove July 22, 2008	What kind of mentality is that? I have a full-time job, so I'm supposed to go out and do news reporting in my non-existent free time? I was expecting that the wire would provide me with my local news, but now I learn that you expect me to go out and find it on my own now that DJ isn't doing it? That's crazy! I just lost all hope in your vision. Good luck with finding someone who thinks like you do.


boakley59 July 22, 2008	Turtledove, what kind of mentality indeed! Turn your question around and examine your own expectations. You expect a free-standing startup blog to provide you with meaty local news that you feel is being neglected by the going media concerns in the area. One hard-working reporter can't do it -- in his work time, let alone his own non-existent free time. One editor/founder can't do it. There's too much community and too few typing hands. A site like this can't succeed without a cooperative effort from its readers. The whole point of a site like this is to let the readers participate more fully in presenting the news that matters to them. That means sending in tips and story ideas; it means maybe writing an opinion piece or a review once in a while; it means recognizing that if there's only one set of hands, the story you want to read might not materialize for weeks; perhaps it means encouraging someone who knows the facts you want told to submit them as a full-blown article. You seem to want full news coverage by magic. Perhaps you might consider buying an ad or making a donation to help pay for a staff position -- your news providers and diligent reporters have to eat, too. Scott isn't saying "Do it yourself." He's saying it can't be done alone or by magic. I am like you in not wanting post after post of material I can find elsewhere, and DJ is my friend and I'm sad that he and Scott couldn't sync their visions, but there's room (and need) for both depth and breadth. I think DJ and Scott struggled with how much of each could or should be provided. The truth is, there's no good way for one person to give very much of either without wearing himself to a frazzle. You ask a lot, and running away at the first sign you might not get it will do nothing but guarantee that it will never come. If you really want what you say you do, it won't be enough for you to sit back and say "gimme more." You'll have to find some way to help, if only to suggest stories or post a comment or even suggest some office efficiencies that might allow one person to tell the stories of the tens of thousands of people who live in North Little Rock. Think of it this way: You want the big meal, but you don't want to buy the groceries, tip the waiter or do the dishes. I'd venture to say it isn't just Scott who needs luck finding someone who thinks alike. As Scott says, do keep coming back, and don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. This is an immense undertaking and no one has quite figured out how it can be done yet. Stick around and lend wisdom where you may, instead of adding to the angry noise that already characterizes too much of the blogosphere.


Turtledove July 22, 2008	Scott didn't post my last comment... I wanted to know how to unsubscribe - to close my account. With all due respect, kind sir, I know all too well the struggle it requires to cover news in a changing industry. I know the sacrifices that DJ and others have had to make to produce quality work in short-handed circumstances. It's not like DJ wasn't willing. It was a job he was getting paid to do and he was doing it well. Why would you expect him to go against his ethical fabric as a reporter? Readers do not want to read rehashed stories from other newspapers, Web sites and TV channels when we can just go straight to those sources? That is unethical and it bothers me that Dogtown Wire readers would even consider supporting that state of mind. For DJ to give up so soon in the game... there's much more to it than an amicable parting. It had to be an issue of quality vs. quantity... and knowing DJ, his integrity wouldn't let him give anything less than immaculate. He's the last of a dying breed and even to suggest diluting his talent would be a slap in the face to anyone who was worth his metal. I will gladly take a break from my busy day to get a glimpse of breaking news when it's at my fingertips, but when there are so many other places to go to find the original fresh tidbits, I have no need for the wire. What is so hard to understand about that? The Dogtown Wire was touted as an interactive alternative media that would provide me with that. Now, its leadership is changing course and so am I. No harm, no foul. If the change was solely a money issue, then why didn't they just say so. SOMEONE is going to get paid to do the job!!! The wire was lucky to have someone of DJ's caliber... and I know they couldn't have been paying him much. He was the one exception to the phrase - "ya get what you pay for." The wire had a bargain in DJ... they didn't care or they discounted him. If I were him, I would walk too. I saw so much promise in the Dogtown Wire until the original news kind of petered out... Scott's posting this week explained why. I was thrilled in the start because the stories reflected the reporter still had a fire in his belly. The fire has been doused. There is nothing to be thrilled about here. Now, please tell me how to close my account. I can find no option to do so on this site.


Turtledove July 22, 2008	Oh, and to respond to your comment about donations or buying ads... I would be MORE than happy to pay for a subscription if I was offered something of value. Blogs are usually free... but no one ever referred to this as a blog in my presence. It was touted as an online, interactive newspaper. Everyone has an opinion... but I'm not going to pay to read it. I will however pay for magazines, newspapers and other publications that give me what others do not. Get your vision straight. When you figure out what the Dogtown Wire is, let me know. If it's something I can't get anywhere else and it's worth it... I will pay. Simple as that.


Scott Miller July 22, 2008	Just stop clicking. What account? No one is paying for anything here except me. If you don't want to be a part of this, just stop clicking to get here and stop commenting. Until you do, your actions betray your words. It is your choice!!!