Officer Has to Dodge Fleeing Suspect

An Oklahoma City man is free on a $44,500 bond after trying to run over a Sallisaw police officer, then fleeing from police, allegedly with bags of methamphetamine.

Larry Shane Cureton, 44, was charged Wednesday in Sequoyah County District Court in Sallisaw with trafficking in illegal drugs and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, both felonies, and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer.

He is due to be arraigned on the charges Nov. 8 in district court.

According to the officer’s report filed with the charges, he was called to Walmart on Oct. 30 on a shoplifting call. The store’s loss prevention officer reported a male suspect left the area in a blue car but stopped to speak to another man in a red pickup truck before leaving. The pickup truck was reported to be still at the gas station across the street.

The police officer stopped the red truck and asked the driver, Larry Shane Cureton, if he had any stolen merchandise in the truck.

The officer reported, “Cureton’s demeanor completely changed, he became obviously nervous and began shaking uncontrollably.”

When the officer asked Cureton to get out of the truck, “Cureton put his truck in gear and accelerated, as Cureton accelerated I was forced onto my patrol unit hood to avoid being run over by the truck.”

The officer reported Cureton drove east on Ruth Street, pursued by the officer in his unit at about 60 miles per hour. Cureton then turned south on Walnut Street. At the street’s dead end Cureton jumped out and ran east behind apartment buildings. He was seen to be carrying a black bag.

The officer reported two other policer officers joined in the hunt for Cureton and soon found him. After a brief struggle, Cureton was restrained. The officers then found the black bag, which contained two plastic bags of a white crystalline substance, which weighed over 20 grams, and a rolled ball of green leafy substance.

Cureton, the officer reported, refused to speak to officers during an interview but said the reason he ran from officers was because he believed he had a probation violation out of Arkansas.

Cureton was released Nov. 1 on bond.

Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director

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