Pursuit ends with arrest of Vidor man

An Orange County man was arrested after leading a state trooper on a brief pursuit on Sept. 19, reported the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Sgt. Shanna Clark reported the pursuit began about 6:40 p.m. on U.S. 96 near County Road 835 in Buna and ended a few minutes later on FM 1004 near County Road 703. She stated the DPS trooper tried to stop a man on a 2007 Yamaha.

Eddie Dunwoody Jr., 40, of Vidor, was arrested for evading arrest with a motor vehicle. He was wanted in Jasper County of a felony burglary charge. Dunwoody was charged with recklessly operating a vehicle in the past – a boat – in a 2017 incident that resulted in the death of an 8-year-old child from Vidor.

Media reports from Louisiana in 2017 detailed Dunwoody’s arrest following a boating accident on the Sabine River that left the young boy dead. Wildlife and Fisheries agents said at that Eddie Dunwoody Jr., 35 at the time, was booked on several charges including operating a vessel while intoxicated and reckless operation as the responsible party in the water death that occurred in the Old Sabine River near Niblett’s Bluff Park while Dunwoody was operating a 19-foot bass boat towing three boys on the tube.

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Spokesman Adam Einck reported that 8-year-old Damian Haines of Vidor and two other boys were ejected from the tube as Dunwoody recklessly turned the boat and drove the tube up on a bank. Dunwoody was arrested on charges including driving a vessel while intoxicated, child endangerment, vehicular homicide and negligent injury, along with reckless operation.