Toddler unhurt after Phillips County rollover during state police pursuit

A 3-year-old boy climbed out of an overturned Dodge Charger after an Arkansas State Police pursuit on Highway 118 near Marvell ended in a field, turning a late-afternoon traffic stop into a wreck that raised immediate public-safety concerns for the rural corridor.

State police said the March 2 chase began around 2:30 p.m. after a trooper tried to stop the car for speeding. The Dodge Charger was traveling about 80 mph in a 55 mph zone, and the driver refused to stop, according to the agency. When the pursuit reached the Joiner city limits, the driver, later identified as 23-year-old Thalia Jones, allegedly swerved into the oncoming lane.

At that point, the trooper used a Tactical Vehicle Intervention, or PIT, maneuver to stop the vehicle. The Charger then struck a sign and a mailbox before leaving the roadway and flipping in a field. Video released by Arkansas State Police showed the child climbing out of the overturned car after the crash.

Jones and her son were both medically cleared at the scene by EMS, and the child was later released to another adult. No serious injuries were reported, but the outcome could easily have been worse on a road where traffic moves fast and there is little margin for error.

Jones faces charges including reckless driving, fleeing, endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree, driving on a suspended license and unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate a crime. State police said the Charger belonged to Jones’ boyfriend, and the crash was reported to the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline.

The case also lands in the middle of a broader law-enforcement debate over high-speed pursuits in Arkansas. In a 2024 briefing on pursuits and prosecutions, Arkansas State Police said Troop A recorded 553 pursuits that year, the highest ever for that troop. On Highway 118, where towns like Marvell and Joiner sit along the same corridor, the danger from a refusal to stop can spread quickly to passengers, bystanders and other drivers long before a chase ends.