By John Howell Sr.

Batesville Police Department Detective Captain Paul Shivers stood surrounded by colorful cartoon characters Wednesday after the recovery of $2,500 worth of so-called NASCAR coats taken in a “snatch and grab” robbery at Okuns Tuesday.

Two men entered the store at 105 John R. Lovelace Drive about 6:22 p.m. December 16 “and grabbed a group of clothing off the racks,” Shivers said.

Each man ran out with an armload of the valuable racing jackets to a vehicle where a third man was waiting behind the wheel, Shivers said. As they drove away, a witness wrote down the vehicle’s tag number, which was conveyed to authorities, he said.

Panola sheriff’s deputy Bubba Moore was patrolling on Interstate 55 and spotted the vehicle as it fled northbound, Shivers continued.

Once Moore turned on his flashing lights to stop the vehicle, “they decided they didn’t want to stop. In their words to us they ‘just wanted to get back to Memphis,’” the detective said.

As the vehicles raced northward in the fog-shrouded evening darkness, they were joined by Mississippi Highway Patrol troopers Bubba Bryan and Dennis Darby.

“Me and Dennis took the lead in the chase and tried to box in the vehicle. That’s when he rammed me,” Bryan said. “We still managed to box him in, then he went too far off shoulder and in ditch, and that stopped the chase.”

“They eventually were able to get them to,” Shivers said. “The driver lost control. After that the officers arrested them.

Albert Smith, 34; Darell “Toll-Free” Moore, 36; and Lamarcus Simmons, 35, all of Memphis, have been charged with grand larcency and face additional state charges stemming from their flight to resist arrest and the ramming of Bryan’s patrol car as they attempted to thwart the trooper’s pursuit, Shivers said.

Smith, Moore and Simmons all have records of past arrests in Memphis, Shivers said, including Moore’s past conviction for manslaughter.

Bryan said Panola Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Maples also participated in the pursuit and arrest of the suspects.