A Pine Bluff man with multiple prior felony convictions was arrested Monday night after a scuffle with police that resulted in an officer receiving minor injuries.
William Shults, 29, was driving a truck with two inoperable tail lights when Pine Bluff Police Department Detective Ryan Moheb attempted to pull him over on Dollarway Road at 9:06 p.m., Moheb said in a probable cause affidavit presented in district court Wednesday.
According to the affidavit, Moheb turned on his blue lights and Shults accelerated the truck and drove in the center lane before finally stopping at North Bryant and Holsey Streets, where Moheb attempted to get him out of the vehicle.
Shults reportedly resisted and attempted to push Moheb away by the throat, resulting in visible injuries.
Moheb reported that he asked for assistance, and when other officers arrived, they were able to handcuff Shults, but not before another physical altercation that resulted in Moheb receiving multiple scratches to both his legs.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
When Shults was questioned, he allegedly said he was a convicted felon and said he had a gun in the vehicle inside a backpack.
Two syringes commonly used to inject methamphetamine were found in Shults’ pocket, and Shults allegedly told Moheb the gun was his and that the syringes were used to inject methamphetamine.
Pine Bluff District Judge John Kearney set a $5,000 bond for Shults after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent Shults, who was also charged with several misdemeanors.