A Mountain Home man who police say rammed his vehicle through the emergency room doors of the Baxter Regional Medical Center during a police pursuit faces a host of charges, including attempted murder. He is accused of trying to run down an officer.
Rory Gregory, 56, is being held without bail in the Baxter County jail in Mountain Home, said Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery. Gregory was arrested Aug. 18 after authorities said he sideswiped a Baxter County sheriff's deputy's car on a county road and then led police on a chase through the county and into Mountain Home.
Police said that when Gregory was hemmed in by police vehicles near Baxter Regional Medical Center, he drove onto a sidewalk and then slammed into the emergency room's entrance, striking a woman in a wheelchair. The woman was not injured, the sheriff said.
Gregory is charged with attempted second-degree murder, third-degree battery of a police officer, criminal mischief, aggravated assault, reckless driving, habitual criminal act, impairing the act of a vital facility and violating parole.
He will be arraigned Sept. 14 in Baxter County Circuit Court.
It's not the first time Gregory has battled with officers, said Mountain Home Police Chief Carry Manuel.
Records indicate Gregory was arrested in 2014 after a Mountain Home police officer spotted Gregory parked behind a closed business that sold all-terrain vehicles. Manuel said officer Larry Caruso saw a large crate containing a vehicle on the back of a trailer behind Gregory's truck and went to investigate.
When Caruso approached the driver's side window of Gregory's truck, Gregory rolled the window down, grabbed the officer's arm and drove off, dragging him, Manuel said.
Gregory stopped after Caruso fired a shot with his service weapon into the truck's dashboard, Manuel said.
Gregory was convicted in the incident and released from prison in April, Manuel said.
On Friday, a Baxter County deputy reported that Gregory sideswiped his patrol vehicle on Arkansas 5. When the deputy turned around, Gregory reportedly took off, leading county, city and state police on a high-speed chase.
When officers placed spiked strips on the roadway to stop Gregory, he drove around them, nearly striking another deputy, reports say.
"Witnesses said that it appeared he deliberately swerved to try to hit the deputy," Montgomery said.
He also rammed a deputy's unmarked patrol car during the chase, the sheriff said.
Gregory drove into Mountain Home and through a residential area before nearing the hospital, Manuel said.
At no time did officers fire their weapons at him, he said.
"There were several chances," Manuel said. "He was endangering a lot of people in areas with a lot of traffic.
"Our officers showed a lot of restraint."
Gregory finally drove through two sets of double doors at the hospital before stopping, officers said.
Officers shot him twice with Tasers to subdue him.
"I don't know why he chose to go through the hospital doors," Montgomery said.
If convicted, Gregory could face a maximum of 86 years in prison, Manuel said.
State Desk on 08/25/2017