Bannock County man charged with multiple felonies following chase
Published at
POCATELLO — A man police say choked and hit a woman before leading them on a chase in her car has been charged.
Weston Lloyd Ballard, 40, faces felonies for eluding officers, driving under the influence with a previous conviction and attempted strangulation, court records show. He has also been charged with misdemeanors for possession of an open container and driving without privileges.
Bannock County Sheriff’s deputies responded to calls reporting a disturbance near West Tyhee and North Rio Vista roads around 1:30 a.m. July 16, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
When they arrived, they found a woman hiding. She told deputies she was driving with Ballard in the passenger seat when the two had an argument. Ballard, she told police, grabbed her by the throat and hit her.
Police reports note “several red marks” on the woman’s face.
The victim said she stopped the car, hoping she would be able to escape when Ballard got out of the car. But he was able to get to the driver’s side of the car before she got away. She said he hit her twice and pulled her from the car, so she ran in fear for her life, the affidavit says.
Ballard then drove away in the car.
The victim called a friend to pick her up, and as she waited with deputies for the friend, she noticed her car drive by. She told the deputies that it was her car and Ballard appeared to have been driving.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop on the car but rather than slowing to a stop, it sped up. The car, a Nissan Sentra, reached speeds of around 70 mph in a 35-mph zone, the affidavit says.
Pursuing deputies requested assistance from Chubbuck and Fort Hall police as well as Idaho State Police as the Nissan continued to speed while moving into lanes for oncoming traffic and passing several stop signs.
Police attempted to stop the Nissan with a spike strip on Ballard Road, but the car continued eastbound. When the car turned onto U.S. Highway 91, deputies requested additional assistance from the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office.
As the Nissan continued to speed toward Ross Fork, pursuing deputies noted that the driver appeared to be throwing beer cans out the driver’s window toward police cruisers.
Bingham County deputies performed a successful PIT maneuver near Gay Mines Road.
When the Nissan came to a stop, officers commanded the driver, later confirmed to be Ballard, to exit the car. He yelled back refusing, according to the affidavit, before opening a can of beer and drinking it.
One of the deputies retrieved his K9 from their cruiser and Ballard was once again commanded to exit the vehicle.
“Once Weston observed the canine, he began to follow verbal commands,” the affidavit says.
During a search of the vehicle, officers found two 32 packs of beer in the backseat of the car, noting that both boxes were open and some of the beer was gone.
Ballard was taken to Bannock County Jail, where he was booked and is being held on a $75,000 bond with a no-contact order.
Though Ballard has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, Ballard could face up to 21 years in prison.
He is scheduled to appear in court before Magistrate Judge Carol Tippi Jarman for a preliminary hearing Monday.