Rural Camden county driver may be first charged under Missouri’s new Valentine’s Law
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St. Louis Detective Antonio Valentine was killed on duty when a fleeing offender crashed his car into the police vehicle on Dec. 1, 2021. Submitted
Missouri’s Governor Mike Parson signed the last few new laws of his tenure in office this past week. Valentine’s Law is named in honor of St. Louis County Detective Antonia Valentine who was killed in the line of duty after a fleeing car struck his police vehicle in December 2021.
The law aims to make Missouri roads safer for law enforcement and residents by deterring motorists from fleeing by vehicle from police at traffic stops and raises the status from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Spokesman Kyle Green spoke about the new law.
“To help with the safety of the general public and law enforcement, try to reduce these crashes that we have sometimes as a result of these pursuits. And put it out there for people to go, you know what, I may have messed up and done something, but I’m going to go ahead and pull over because I don’t want to face the repercussions of a felony for what I am about to do.”
It is part of an expansive crime reform law that also includes provisions to criminalize celebratory gunfire and increase penalties for harming or killing a police animal in the line of duty.
This new law creates the offense of “aggravated fleeing a stop or detention of a motor vehicle.” If someone knows a law enforcement officer is trying to pull them over and they drive away anyway creating risk of injury, it is at least a class D felony. It increases to a class B felony if someone is hurt and class A felony if someone dies because of the person fleeing.
Punishments for these felonies range from up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine to a minimum of 10 years and maximum of 30 years in prison.
Under Valentine’s Law, it is not a defense if the person believes law enforcement was unlawful in pulling them over. It is considered fleeing, under this new law, if law enforcement had lights and sirens on and the person should have reasonably been able to notice them.
“We know these high-speed chases create a huge risk to public safety, not only for the officers but the public at large,” said Clay County Republican Sen. Tony Luektemeyer, who carried this legislation.
“Tony was a good family person. Tony was a son, a brother, a husband and a father. And he loved his community,” said Lt. Colonel Jason Law with St. Louis County Police when the bill was introduced.
A speeding driver in rural Camden County may be one of the state’s first defendants charged with a Class A felony under the new law. An Osage Beach police officer died overnight in a crash while pursuing the fleeing suspect.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s crash report, the crash happened just after 1:30 a.m. Saturday on Route A, just east of Route C. The crash scene is approximately 18 miles east of Camdenton.
Osage Police Chief Todd Davis said Officer Phylicia Carson was on patrol just before 1:20 a.m. on Aug 29 when she noticed a speeding vehicle on westbound Highway 54 near Passover Road. Carson activated her police lights and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the offending driver sped off.
Carson pursued the vehicle onto Route A when her car began to skid, according to the crash report. Carson’s vehicle went off the road, struck a tree, and caught fire. Carson perished in the crash. She was 33.
Chief Davis said Carson joined the department in June 2023. She leaves behind a husband and their six children.
“The speeding driver was later apprehended in the area of Route A and Canary Lane,” Davis said. No charges have been filed as of Saturday afternoon. However, the Camden County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the speeding driver may face an additional felony charges under the newly-implemented Valentine’s Law.
Lisa Brotherton-Barnes is a staff writer for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at lbarnes@dailyjournalonline.com.
