Poplar Bluff man allegedly rams estranged wife's car before leading police on high-speed chase

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man allegedly rammed his estranged wife's car Monday morning, then hit her repeatedly before pulling a rifle on her.

After the man's father, who had been following his son in another vehicle, wrestled the gun away, Aaron Ray Eldridge allegedly fled and subsequently led Ripley County authorities on a high-speed chase, which ended when he crashed his pickup into a tractor-trailer at Doniphan.

Both Eldridge and his estranged wife, Crystal Eldridge, 27, are being treated at St. Louis hospitals today.

"It's our understanding he has a dislocated hip," explained Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley. "It's our understanding, she had serious injuries to her hip from the impact of the vehicle in the assault."

Crystal Eldridge was initially taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center and later transferred to a St. Louis hospital for further treatment due to the severity of her injuries, Deputy Chief Jeff Rolland said.

Crystal Eldridge was injured at about 11:15 a.m. when her husband allegedly rammed her car, lodging it on the sidewalk on the south side of the Smith & Company building at Ninth and Vine, Lt. Ralph Jefferson said in his report.

"A. Eldridge then exited his vehicle and approached C. Eldridge's vehicle," Jefferson said. "He pulled her out of the front passenger door by her hair, struck her repeatedly with his fists, as he yelled obscenities.

"A. Eldridge went back to his vehicle, produced a rifle and started toward C. Eldridge again."

At that point, Jefferson said, Eldridge's father, Lonny Ray Eldridge, "took him to the ground and wrestled the rifle away from him."

Eldridge, Jefferson said, returned to his vehicle and fled.

After Eldridge fled, Rolland said, his information and vehicle description were sent out to area law enforcement agencies.

At 11:29 a.m., Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Darrin Tackett relayed the information to the Doniphan Police Department, said Doniphan Sgt. Joe Joiner.

Tackett and a Ripley County deputy headed to Highway 160, east of Doniphan, looking for a "vehicle flying this direction," said Joiner, who overheard their radio traffic indicating they had passed a silver Ford truck at a "very high rate of speed."

Joiner said the officers turned around, but didn't try to initiate a traffic stop since officers knew "he might be armed with a rifle and willing to use it. They wanted to wait until more officers were in the area.

After hearing the traffic, Joiner said, he and Chief Mark Rodgers headed toward Highway 160.

"By the time I got to Current River Ford on 160, I saw a silver truck come over the hill, coming into Doniphan at a very high rate of speed," said Joiner, who estimated the truck was traveling at a minimum of 70 mph, but "more like 90."

By the time Joiner turned around, he said, the truck was "already flying past me. I pulled in behind it (and) activated lights and sirens.

"I didn't really start catching up until the Current River bridge (heading) west out of town."

As Eldridge went up the hill, approaching where the road made a sharp turn, he apparently "let off the gas" or he wouldn't have made the turn, said Joiner.

As Joiner came around the curve, he said, Eldridge was still in the westbound lane. In the eastbound lane, he said, was a tractor-trailer.

"The silver Ford truck moved over into his lane, several feet," Joiner explained. "The tractor-trailer moved over to keep from hitting him."

The trucker, according to Joiner, had to move over twice. "The second time he was completely on the shoulder," he said. "Even then, the silver truck continued to move over, attempting to hit (the truck) head on."

Eldridge's truck, Joiner said, stuck the front driver's side bumper of the tractor-trailer at about 11:45 a.m.

Joiner said he used his baton to break the passenger side window and unlock Eldridge's door. He said he secured Eldridge until the arrival of emergency medical services personnel, who were accompanied by a Poplar Bluff officer as they transported Eldridge to the Poplar Bluff hospital.

Eldridge 33, of the 900 block of County Road 411 was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm and violation of an ex-parte order. He was released to medical personnel for treatment of what Rolland described as minor injuries.

The crash was turned over to Tackett for investigation, while Joiner is working the assault involving the trucker and will be asking Ripley County Prosecutor Christopher Miller for charges.

As both of the Eldridges were being treated, officers interviewed several witnesses, including Eldridge's father.

Lonny Eldridge told Detective David Sutton he was at home when his wife telephoned indicating their son was "upset" and had a gun.

The elder Eldridge reported calling his son, who told him "he planned to kill Crystal Eldridge, then kill himself," Sutton said. "(He) drove into Poplar Bluff and spoke with (his son) on the phone several times."

Sutton said father and son met each other behind Blackwell-Baldwin GMC on South 11th Street, and the elder Eldridge turned around and began following his son, who turned eastbound on Vine Street.

The elder Eldridge "watched as (his son) swerved and struck the vehicle operated by Crystal Eldridge," Sutton said. Father and son, he said, exited their vehicles at the same time.

"Aaron Eldridge reached into the passenger compartment of his own vehicle and emerged with a .22-caliber rifle," Sutton said. "Lonny Eldridge wrestled with (his son), pulled the rifle from his grasp and ran (with the rifle) back to his vehicle."

It was then that the younger Eldridge fled, Sutton said.

After checking on his daughter-in-law, Sutton said, Lonny Eldridge reported driving home. Since the elder Eldridge owned several firearms, "he feared Aaron Eldridge would use one to harm himself or someone else," he said.

Lonny Eldridge, who reported three other long guns were missing, later turned the .22-caliber rifle over to officers.

Jefferson said Kelly Neel reported her brother-in-law had called her shortly before the alleged assault.

"During their conversation, A. Eldridge asked her to take care of their children because he planned to kill C. Eldridge and then himself," Jefferson said. "A. Eldridge called Neel back approximately 20 minutes later, screaming and crying that he had finally done it; he had killed her."

Officers also interviewed Stephanie McCain, who works with Crystal Eldridge and was on break with her Monday morning.

During their break, McCain told Sutton, Julie Turner, who works at a nearby business, approached them and handed Crystal Eldridge a single rose with a card.

The card, Sutton said, had "I love you" printed on it, as well as "Always, 1 rose todays and meaning to follow" handwritten on it.

Turner told the women, as well as Sutton during a subsequent interview, that Aaron Eldridge brought the rose in and asked her to deliver it.

Sutton said he also interviewed Crystal Eldridge's father, Gregory Spencer.

Spencer, he said, reported calling Eldridge's cellular telephone Monday morning due to his trash not being picked up.

"Aaron Eldridge told Spencer that he planned to kill himself," Sutton said.

Spencer then called the home of his son-in-law's mother to tell her, but Aaron Eldridge answered and told him "he also planned to kill Crystal Eldridge."

Rolland said this is not the first incident of suspected domestic violence involving the Eldridges reported to the police department.

In February 2007, the Butler County Sheriff's Department and Highway Patrol also responded to a domestic assault involving a weapon at the Eldridges' home.

A Ripley County jury subsequently found Eldridge guilty of Class C felony of second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer in connection with that incident and fined him $5,000.

"Due to his previous criminal history, we're specifically requesting a no-bond warrant because we consider him to be a continual threat to his estranged wife and the public in general as demonstrated by yesterday's extremely violent actions," said Whiteley. "We have contacted federal authorities for possible additional federal charges."