The Sedona Police Department was involved in a seldom-needed high-risk stop on Thursday, Sept. 9.
A Sedona Pol ice Department report states that at 12:40 p.m. officers stopped a vehicle driven by 38-year-old William Charles Traphagan, of Yuma.
Traphagan, who had reportedly fled from several nearby law enforcement agencies, was located in Sedona, after he reportedly drove at a high rate of speed in Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona, according to radio traffic.
Northern Arizona University Police Department Sgt. Eric Greenwald said an attempt to stop Traphagan on campus was unsuccessful and he fled the scene. A high-risk stop was conducted in the Bashas’ parking lot.
A female passenger was released after questioning.
After being arrested in Sedona, he was charged with felony flight and reckless driving. Traphagan was turned over to the Northern Arizona University Police Department.
According to SPD Lt. Karl Waak, Traphagan was taken into custody without incident. In terms of high-risk stops, Waak said, “They don’t occur very often, but when they do, they’re much safer for everyone involved.”
He added that a high-risk stop is very coordinated among the officers as commands are called out to the occupants of a vehicle. There are a variety of circumstances in which one is used, primarily if a felony is involved.
