A Corvette stolen in Festus recently was recovered in Edwardsville, Ill., after a 19-year-old St. Louis man allegedly was drag racing there and then was found in the vicinity of the stolen car, authorities reported.
Festus Police reported that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette was stolen May 20 from outside a house in the 1700 block of Scenic Drive.
Edwardsville Police Lt. Brandn Whittaker reported that the St. Louis man, Daysyon Cooks, was arrested at about 2:30 a.m. June 4.
“We received a report of vehicles drag racing on Route 157,” Whittaker said. “The blue Corvette was racing a white Range Rover.”
When police arrived, the drag racers headed for a nearby subdivision, he said.
“The vehicles were seen entering a neighboring subdivision with one way in and one way out,” he said. “One officer pursued and another officer was able to spike strip the blue Corvette, which was disabled. The Range Rover got away.
Cooks, who reportedly had been drag racing in the Corvette, fled on foot and was captured by Edwardsville Police, Whittaker said.
“There was no resistance,” he said.
Whittaker said the Corvette had “extensive” damage.
“It has no back – no bumper, no tail lights,” he said.
Festus Police Chief Doug Wendel said the tires were all damaged by the spikes.
Cooks allegedly was found with more than 15 grams of a controlled substance and assault-style weapons, he said.
The Madison County State’s Attorney Office reported that Cooks has been charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance, a class 1 felony; one count of offenses related to motor vehicles, a class 2 felony; two counts of aggravated and unlawful use of a weapon, each one a class 4 felony; and one count of eluding police, a class A misdemeanor.
If convicted in Illinois courts, Cooks faces fines and four to 15 years in prison for the class 1 felony; three to seven years in prison for the class 2 felony charge; one to three years in prison for each of the class 4 felonies; and up to 364 days in jail for the class A misdemeanor.
Festus Police had not sought charges against Cooks in Missouri as of June 6, Wendel said
Cooks was being held in the Madison County, Ill., jail on a $150,000 bond, authorities said.
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