Chris Ryan Adams Jr., 26, of Crystal City, a prior offender, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for fleeing from a police officer and trying to run the officer’s vehicle off the road during a high-speed police chase, according to court documents.
Adams pleaded guilty to second-degree assault with a special victim, as well as to resisting arrest by fleeing and creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death, both felonies. On Nov. 8, Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Carl Wesley Yates III sentenced Adams to 10 years in prison for the assault charge and four years for resisting arrest, with the terms to be served concurrently, or at the same time, court records indicated.
On May 30, 2017, a police officer attempted to stop Adams on McNutt Street for a traffic violation, and Adams would not pull over. He led the officer on a 17-minute chase on I-55 through four cities, the probable-cause statement said.
During the chase, Adams attempted to force the officer’s vehicle off the interstate. In addition, Adams drove in excess of 100 mph, putting other drivers and pedestrians at risk, the report said.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Angela D. Tindall handled the case.
The 10-year sentence also is to be served concurrent with a seven-year prison term Adams was sentenced to on Nov. 8 after he pleaded guilty to two felony drug possession charges stemming from a February 2017 incident in Jefferson County, court papers show.
Adams previously was convicted of felony burglary tied to a September 2012 incident in Jefferson County, according to court records.
Adams currently is in the Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston.