Arnold Police are looking for a 33-year-old Ste. Genevieve man who allegedly led them on a high-speed chase through Arnold before ending with the arrest of a 40-year-old Pevely woman who was a passenger in the car and was trying to run away after the vehicle was abandoned, police reported.
At about 7 p.m. Sept. 16, officers spotted the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta the man was driving outside the Circle K gas station, 1980 Richardson Road. The car had been spray-painted black and one of its windows was shattered, the report said.
Officers saw a man and woman get into the car and watched it turn left onto Richardson Road. Then, officers turned on their cruiser’s lights to stop the car, but the driver did not pull over and started to travel at a high rate of speed, according to the report.
The driver reportedly cut off two vehicles to get onto the northbound I-55 exit ramp. Then, the man allegedly sped north on the interstate, reaching speeds of 110 mph, Arnold Police reported.
After the Volkswagen passed the Hwy. 141 exit, the driver allegedly slammed on the brakes, spun the car around 180 degrees and started driving south in the northbound lanes before getting off on the Hwy. 141 exit, the report said.
Officers doubled back on the interstate and continued to chase the Volkswagen on Hwy. 141. The man turned right onto Lone Star Drive and reportedly clipped the back end of a 2018 Buick Enclave driven by a 68-year-old Arnold man who was turning left into the CVS Pharmacy’s parking lot, 2120 Lone Star Drive. Neither the driver nor a 68-year-old Arnold who was a passenger in the SUV were injured. The Enclave sustained minor damage, Arnold Police reported.
The Ste. Genevieve man continued driving on Lone Star Drive before turning onto a side road and then getting onto Jeffco Boulevard. He allegedly sped away, headed south on Jeffco Boulevard before turning left on McClain Drive and stopping on a gravel road, where he, the female passenger and a 37-year-old Arnold man who also was riding in the car got out and ran, the report said.
Officers searched a wooded area behind the nearby Hobby Lobby, 30 Arnold Park Mall, where they saw the two men and woman running away. An officer was able to catch up with the woman, but the two men got away, Arnold Police said.
The woman identified the driver, and the other man is known to officers, Valentine said.
After arresting the woman, officers allegedly found drug paraphernalia and a PVC pipe that was capped at both ends in the Volkswagen. At first, officers thought the pipe might have been a bomb, so the St. Louis County Police Bomb and Arson Unit was called to inspect it. The pipe did not contain explosives, but instead was full of marijuana, the report said.
The woman was taken to the Police Station, where she was booked and released pending application for warrants. Arnold Police will seek charges against her through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for felony resisting arrest, felony possession of 35 or more grams of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, Detective Lt. Jason Valentine said.
On Sept. 23, he said police were still looking for the Ste. Genevieve man. Valentine also said police were not searching for the male passenger from the Volkswagen because it is not believed he was connected to the marijuana or drug paraphernalia that was found in the car.