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SARATOGA SPRINGS — An arrest warrant has been issued for a man accused of briefly dragging a police officer with his car and then leading officers on a high speed chase.
Skyler Ray Jones, 19, was charged Thursday in 4th District Court with assault on a police officer, drug possession with intent to distribute and theft by receiving stolen property, second-degree felonies; marijuana distribution, failing to stop at the command of police and unlawful possession of a financial card, third-degree felonies, and seven misdemeanor charges.
On Sept. 23, police responded to a report of a man trying to sell marijuana in a Walmart parking lot in Saratoga Springs. When officers arrived and ordered Jones out of his car, he refused, according to charging documents.
"As an officer was reaching into the car to arrest the defendant, the defendant suddenly accelerated … (and) the car struck the officer's shoulder. The officer was briefly dragged with his arm stuck inside the car until he got himself free," the charges state.
Jones then allegedly hit another parked car but kept driving.
"(He) drove through Saratoga Springs and into Eagle Mountain at speeds of about 80-125 mph, passing other vehicles by driving in the oncoming traffic lanes or the median. The pursuit ended after about 14 miles when law enforcement spiked two of the defendant's tires," according to the charges.
When the car came to a stop, Jones still refused to get out, and officers "could see him smoking something with a straw inside the vehicle, later found to be morphine pills," the charges allege. After using pepper balls to get Jones out of his car, he was taken into custody and then to a local hospital to be checked out.
"(Jones) was admitted to the hospital on a psychiatric hold but law enforcement was not notified when he was released, and his current whereabouts are unknown," prosecutors wrote in the charges.
Police say the vehicle Jones was in was reported stolen out of California the day before. Inside the vehicle, officers reported finding marijuana and several types of drugs, including nearly 200 morphine pills.
In addition to the felonies filed against him, Jones was also charged Thursday with unlawful possession of a weapon and methamphetamine possession, class A misdemeanors; DUI, reckless driving, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors; and causing an accident, a class C misdemeanor.
