A 41-year-old Maryland Heights man led three police departments on a 25-minute chase that ended early Saturday morning (April 16) with the man’s arrest in Festus.
He received 39 citations for suspected drug and traffic violations, then was released pending application for warrants.
The pursuit began at two minutes to midnight Friday when Crystal City Police Sgt. Wes Besore spotted a suspicious-looking vehicle on the parking lot of Twin City Honda/Suzuki, which borders Crystal City and Herculaneum in the 1500 block of Commercial Boulevard.
Besore shone a spotlight on the vehicle, a 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage, Crystal City Police Capt. Mike Pruneau said.
“It took off north on 61-67, then turns off at Buchheit’s and goes back up into Crystal City on Crystal Heights Road,” Pruneau said.
At one point, the Mitsubishi “shot through a dead-end and into a field,” Pruneau said.
“There were three people in the vehicle when they started the pursuit,” he said. “A Herculaneum officer who had joined the pursuit saw a female and male jump out and run off.”
With police still in pursuit, the Mitsubishi ran into a fire hydrant in the 100 block of Second Street in Crystal City, but was able to continue trying to elude officers.
“They continued the pursuit over into Festus. The guy turns from Main Street and gets stuck on the train tracks at Fifth and Grand,” Pruneau said. “He takes off on foot and runs over on Warne Street. One of the Festus officers caught him trying to hide under a porch.”
Officers found what they believe to be methamphetamine that had been thrown out of the vehicle in Crystal City, and a black container with syringes and a substance believed to be methamphetamine still in the car, Pruneau said.
Police believe the man was part of a burglary crew.
“There were four or five laptops computers in the car,” Pruneau said. “Our detectives are trying to determine the owners and the identity of the male and female. He (the arrested man) wouldn’t give them up.”
The car was registered in Illinois to a different person than the driver and was not reported stolen. It was towed from the railroad tracks without incident.
Citations ranged from driving with a suspended driver’s license to possession of a controlled substance, plus failure to yield, turn signal, stop sign and numerous careless and imprudent driving violations.
No property damage was reported and there were no injuries, Pruneau said. He said the pursuit reached speeds of 50 to 60 mph, sometimes in zones posted as low as 20 mph.