Early Friday morning the 12th of July, a YCSO supervisor was traveling east on Gurley Street near Marina Street, Prescott, at about 30 mph. At this time, a white Honda passed his fully marked patrol vehicle doing more than 60 mph as measured by a traffic radar device. When the deputy tried to stop the Honda, it fled south on Bradshaw Drive from Gurley Street, eventually jumping a curb and colliding with a tree near the Compass Bank. The driver then continued south until stopping at the corner of Bradshaw Street and Goodwin Street. As the deputy pulled behind the Honda, the Honda’s driver revved his engine, put the Honda in reverse, and intentionally rammed the patrol vehicle. The uncooperative driver, later identified as 22-year-old Eric Welch from Prescott, refused to follow commands. The deputy approached Welch and was able to forcibly remove him from the vehicle and take him into custody before he could drive away.
During a search of Welch’s clothing, the deputy found marijuana ‘dabs,’ which is a form of highly concentrated cannabis. Welch freely admitted consuming 6 beers while smoking several ‘dabs’ around 4 AM that morning before driving. Fortunately, the deputy was not injured and his actions to detain the suspect likely prevented harm to innocent motorists driving in the area. Officers from the Prescott Police Department arrived to assist by handling the traffic collision portion of the investigation.
Welch was booked on charges including Flee pursuing Law Enforcement Officer, Aggravated Assault on Law Enforcement, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Criminal Damage, DUI drugs/alcohol, and Possession of a Dangerous Drug and Paraphernalia – including scales, grinder, pipes, and a propane torch. His breath test showed twice the legal limit. Welch remains in the Camp Verde Detention Center on a $30,000 bond.