Claremore Officer Injured After Head-On Crash With Chase Suspect

A Claremore man is in jail after leading police on a chase and crashing into an officer and hurting him.

The cars crashed near Country Club Road and Walnut Hill, and officers said the suspect is no stranger to them.

Anne Yorke says she saw officers put the suspect in handcuffs and said he was acting belligerent.

"They got the man out of the street and he was yelling to beat the band. He was loud," she said.

Claremore Police said 21-year-old Hunter Hines was going 54 miles an hour in a 25-mile zone.

When lights flashed, he took off instead of pulling over.

They said Hines drove into traffic and hit two cars. Fortunately, those drivers were not hurt.

Then, they say Hines rammed a police officer head-on, leaving behind shards of plastic, and leaving Officer Don Thirion with a broken bone in his hand.

Claremore police assistant chief, Charles Downum said, "The airbags will cause some burns on your skin, so just some minor bruising and burns on the skin, but there is the broken bone."

Yorke said she's glad Hines is now locked up.

"What is the matter with that guy? What was he doing, too," she asked.

This is not Hines' first time in the Rogers County Jail.

He was arrested three years ago for harboring a runaway 12-year-old girl. Authorities later charged him with rape, molestation and sodomy.

A jury acquitted him of the rape and molestation charges, but while he was in jail Hines wrote a threatening letter addressed to President Obama, a federal crime; the Secret Service investigated and a judge sentenced him to six months and three years’ probation for the threat.

10/8/2014 Related Story: Rogers County Inmate Sentenced For Threatening U.S. President

Downum said, "It is very frustrating. You know, you'd like to change the behavior. We can't seem to do that, so it'd be nice for him to be locked up."

We asked Hines for an interview and he told us through jail staff that he'd think about it, but he'd have to ask his mom. His mom said no.