Jacob Ian Spear, 26, of Dittmer has been charged with four felonies and three misdemeanors for reportedly causing a four-vehicle accident on Wednesday (May 5) at Laclede Station and Watson roads in St. Louis County that left him and seven others injured. Spear allegedly was driving a stolen car and fleeing from police when the accident occurred, court records show.
A Shrewsbury Police officer attempted to stop Spear, who was driving a 1993 Ford Crown Victoria when he reportedly violated a traffic signal on Watson Road. The Ford had been reported stolen April 16 from south St. Louis County, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
The officer activated his lights to stop the Ford, but Spear allegedly fled west on Watson Road at a high rate of speed. The officer ended the pursuit a short time later and turned onto Wimbledon Drive, the report said.
At the intersection of Laclede Station and Watson roads, which is about a quarter-mile from Wimbledon Drive, the Ford went through a red light, causing the four-vehicle accident. Spear and four passengers in the Ford were hurt in the crash, as were three people from the other vehicles, according to the report.
Spear and the seven others hurt in the accident were transported to area hospitals, the report said.
Detectives from the St. Louis County Police’s Crimes Against Persons are leading the investigation, authorities said.
Spear was charged Thursday (May 6) with four counts of second-degree assault, each one a class D felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and three counts of fourth-degree assault, each one a class A misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and up to a $2,000 fine.
He was being held on a $200,000 cash-only bond in the St. Louis County Jail, authorities reported.