Cox aided Hood in flight

Nancy Elaine Cox
Nancy Elaine Cox

From Staff Reports

A Pea Ridge woman was arrested Sunday in connection with aiding Christopher Lee Hood, a man who was sought by law enforcement personnel for four days after he shot at a deputy Friday.

Hood, 39, was arrested July 13 in McDonald County, Mo., just north of Pea Ridge, after a 30-minute car chase that ended with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the probable cause affadavit. He was flown by helicopter to an area hospital, said Keshia Guyll, spokeswoman for the Benton County Sheriff's Office.

Nancy Elaine Cox, 23, Pea Ridge, was arrested July 11 and charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution (felony) after authorities learned she had been communicating and assisting Hood in his attempts to flee from law enforcement, according to Guyll.

Officers had pursued Hood since Friday, when deputies attempted to serve him a warrant in connection with a parole violation and failure to pay child support. He fled from The Links at Rainbow Curve apartment complex on Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard about 8 p.m. Friday, leading deputies on a chase across the golf course in a PT Cruiser, Guyll said.

Cox admitted she received a text from Hood stating: "I'm under the bridge in Bella Vista, bring food and clothes," according to the probable cause affadivit.

Cox is being held in the Benton County Jail on a $50,000 bond. She is scheduled to apepar in Benton County Circuit Court at 8 a.m. Aug. 24.

After wrecking the car, Hood ran and fired a shot at deputies, Guyll said.

There were numerous tips and sightings regarding Hood over the weekend. Police checked locations in Fayetteville, Centerton and Bella Vista on Saturday and again in Bella Vista on Sunday, Guyll said.

Hood was spotted in a vehicle in McDonald County midmorning Monday, and McDonald County deputies attempted to pull him over, Guyll said. Hood led McDonald County deputies on a short chase in rural Missouri between Jane and Pineville.

"Shots were fired from Mr. Hood's vehicle toward the deputies," Guyll said.

Benton County deputies were dispatched from just across the state line.

A McDonald County deputy "tapped" Hood's vehicle with his own to force Hood's vehicle off the road, Guyll said. After Hood stopped and officers surrounded the vehicle, deputies saw he had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, she said.

No one from the Benton County Sheriff's Office fired a weapon during the pursuit, Guyll said.

Hood likely will face charges of aggravated assault, fleeing and possession of a firearm by a felon, Guyll said.

Hood also was a suspect in a couple of burglaries in Benton County in the last month, Guyll said.

General News on 07/15/2015