Police to file charges following ‘slow-speed’ chase

Police are preparing to file charges stemming from a four-mile pursuit early Sunday afternoon.

According to police records, a patrol officer was in the area of Columbia Street and Westmount Drive when he noticed a 1993 Chevrolet truck perform an “improper pass” on another vehicle on the same road. The officer attempted to pull the driver of the truck over, but the driver refused to stop and headed west on State Route 221.

Records show the officer continued following the man, a 72-year-old Doe Run resident, with lights and siren activated, and eventually notified the Missouri State Highway Patrol. A spokesman for the police department said a “slow to moderate pursuit” continued on toward Doe Run. A highway patrol trooper in the Doe Run area put down spike strips as the truck approached the area of 221 and Route B.

The spokesman said the spike strip performed as designed and the truck came to a stop. The Farmington officer ordered the driver from the truck, but the driver refused. The police report indicated the man cussed the officer. At that point the officer and trooper physically removed the driver from the truck. Records show both the driver and Farmington officer suffered multiple abrasions from the road surface during the scuffle.

The driver was transported to Parkland Hospital in Farmington where he was treated and hospitalized. He was released from custody pending the filing of formal charges. He was contacted by the Daily Journal on Monday, but did not wish to discuss the incident at that time.

According to the police department spokesman, the driver will be charged with three counts: resisting/failure to obey/obstructing justice, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, and improper passing.