On Friday morning, Amber Walker was released on bond from the Carroll County Detention Center. Less than an hour later, she was booked back into the jail for stealing an unmarked vehicle from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
Walker, 37, had been arrested for disorderly conduct April 22 by the Berryville Police Department, after an encounter at a local dentist’s office. She remained in jail until Friday morning, when she appeared in District Court. Judge Dale Ramsey released her on her own recognizance, with a citation and a court date.
She left the jail at 10:20 a.m. A few minutes later, she was seen on security cameras driving away in an unmarked black Ford Explorer. An alert was sent immediately to surrounding law enforcement agencies, and the Eureka Springs Police Department spotted the vehicle near Valley View Baptist Church, on U.S. Highway 62. ESPD officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver continued eastbound at speeds up to 80 miles per hour.
CCSO, ESPD, and BPD joined forces to box in the vehicle with a rolling roadblock. Before Walker reached the Berryville city limits, the rolling roadblock gradually forced her to reduce speed and stop. At that point, she drove through a ditch onto Carroll Road 312, and then drove through a yard and was boxed in along a fence. A press release from the CCSO notes that no county, city, or public property was damaged in the recovery operation.
Chief Deputy Maj. Jerry Williams said a deputy had parked in an area reserved for department vehicles, but that area is not secure. The deputy went inside without locking the vehicle.
Walker now faces additional charges of theft of a motor vehicle and fleeing in a vehicle, both felonies. She is also charged with misdemeanor fleeing and reckless driving. She was released on $10,000 bond, with a court date of June 8.