DRUNK OFF-DUTY ARKANSAS STATE POLICE TROOPER HITS CAR AND FLEES SCENE - HE RESIGNED THE NEXT DAY AND NOW FACES FELONY CHARGES

Clint Daniel Vaughn, an Arkansas State Police trooper until June 7th, a day after he was driving drunk and rammed into another vehicle injuring the driver, is facing a felony charge following an alleged hit-and-run crash that happened on June 6th.

Court records show Vaughan, 34, of Quitman was formally charged in Faulkner County Circuit Court on June 12th with one felony count of failure of duty to give information or render aid and one misdemeanor count of third-degree battery. The charges stem from an late-night crash that occurred on June 6th.

  
According to the felony probable cause affidavit, the accident occurred along Highway 65 in Conway near the Church Alive.

 
Troopers were alerted of a crash around 11:18 p.m. Soon after being notified of the crash, they located a maroon Mazda passenger car that had “significant damage to the passenger side.”

Witnesses told authorities “a white full size dually pickup truck” struck the vehicle, injuring the Mazda’s passenger who ultimately was taken by ambulance to the Conway Regional Medical Center, the affidavit states.

The woman who was taken to the nearby emergency room “suffered contusions and abrasions on her face, arms and torso.”

Those who witnessed the incident said they believed the suspect vehicle sustained damages on its front passenger side and noticed it “was throwing sparks as it fled the scene,” according to the affidavit.

Conway Police Department officers soon located a Chevrolet Silverado Dually 3500 truck approximately one mile from the crash site, adding that it had damages consistent with those described by damages. The right side wheel and axle also appeared to be damaged, according to a report.

Authorities on scene ran the license plate, which featured law enforcement tags, and learned the vehicle belonged to the 34-year-old Quitman man. The Jim Smith Collision & Wrecker Center in Conway was called to pick up the suspect vehicle while authorities went to Vaughn’s house to question him about the incident, according to ASP Special Agent Gregg Bray’s report.

Vaughan was not home at the time authorities arrived in an attempt to speak with him regarding the crash, the report states. However, as other troopers worked the crash scene, a Cleburne County tow truck “passed through the crash site and drove to the location where the white dually was parked.”

The Cleburne County tow truck driver told police “he was contacted by Vaughan and told someone had stolen his truck but he located it near his hotel room at the Quality Inn in Conway.”

The affidavit states that ASP also learned Vaughan was at The Relax and Be (The RAB), a local bar located in the 400 block of Highway 65.

Quality Inn Motel staff confirmed the now ex-trooper checked into the motel around 11:16 p.m. Thursday. The following morning, authorities met with him in the lobby and confronted him about the crash that reportedly occurred the night before when Vaughan admitted to hitting “something” while driving along Highway 65.

“Vaughan admitted that he left the RAB and struck something in the roadway that deflated his tire,” Bray’s report reads in part. “He [said he] continued to travel on the flat until he reached the Quality Inn. Vaughan admitted to drinking at least two shots of whiskey and several beers at the RAB.”

Following the incident, the ASP special agent also obtained a search warrant to search Vaughan’s truck. In his request, Bray said he intended to look for:
 
Anything containing alcoholic beverages, whether it be full or empty.
Receipts.
Vehicle damages and paint transfers.
Digital and other electronic devices, “including but not limited to cellular phones, computers, GPS navigation devices, and computer tablets.”
Documents identifying the vehicle’s occupants.
”[A]ny other evidence of a crime.”

Stay tuned for updates.