Contributed Photo: Robert Glidewell was arrested and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on charges of possession of a narcotic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful flight from law enforcement, leaving the scene of an accident, criminal damage, possession of a dangerous drug, tampering with evidence, and driving on a suspended license.
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A man who fled from police during an attempted traffic stop is now facing decades behind bars on numerous drug charges and other felonies.
Robert Hawk Glidewell, 32, of Safford, was arrested just after 12 a.m. on May 23 and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on charges of possession of a narcotic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful flight from law enforcement, leaving the scene of an accident, criminal damage, possession of a dangerous drug, tampering with evidence, and driving on a suspended license.
Glidewell was out on a $25,000 bond from a separate case regarding charges of possession of a narcotic drug, possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of drug paraphernalia, taking contraband into a correctional facility, and tampering with evidence. Now, he faces decades in prison if convicted.
According to a Safford Police report, an officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a white Nissan Sentra after it was seen leaving an address known for drug activity. The officer reported witnessing the Sentra fail to stop before crossing the white painted stop bar at the intersection of U.S. Highway 70 and Montiereth Lane. The officer then observed the car do the same thing at the intersection of Montiereth Lane and Lonestar Road.
At that point the officer activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, however, the Sentra – later found to be driven by Glidewell – failed to yield and instead sped westbound. The officer then activated his siren and the Sentra began to swerve. The vehicle then crashed into a fence behind a residence in the 200 block of Lonestar Road.
Glidewell exited the vehicle and fled on foot while his passenger, identified as James Fernandez, stayed in the car and was taken into custody. Fernandez was found to have some drug paraphernalia on him and a machete he reportedly said he had to trade for drugs. Fernandez was released with pending charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and misconduct involving weapons/possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor, being forwarded to the Graham County Attorney’s Office for review.
Officers from the Thatcher and Pima police departments and deputies from the Graham County Sheriff’s Office joined Safford officers in their search for Glidewell. At one point, a Safford captain began searching the area with a law enforcement drone.
Glidewell was located after a homeowner flagged down a deputy on the search. The homeowner said he noticed his motion light turn on and located Glidewell hiding in his backyard.
Glidewell advised he was not feeling well and that he had attempted to ingest a “handful” of counterfeit Oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl but regurgitated it. He said he also attempted to swallow a bag of methamphetamine. A piece of aluminum foil with one blue counterfeit Oxy with fentanyl was found but not the baggie that Glidewell advised he swallowed.
Glidewell was medically cleared by staff at Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center and was then taken to jail.
Hours later in the daylight at about 6 a.m., officers patrolled the area where Glidewell was found and located a plastic baggie containing 3.6 grams of meth including the packaging.
