Jason J. Wilson, 32, of Hillsboro has been charged with three felonies following a manhunt for him Thursday (May 18) in southern Hillsboro.
Wilson had been taken into custody on Thursday for an alleged burglary, but somehow escaped from a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office vehicle, stole the vehicle and hit a detective with it and then got away.
After he escaped from the deputies, he ditched the car and ran into a wooded area near highways B and 21, and the Sheriff's Office set up a perimeter there and searched for him.
Wilson was recaptured early this morning (May 19) in St. Louis, and the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed charges against him late this afternoon.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Wilson at about 2 a.m. today at a residence in St. Louis, said Cpl. Matthew Moore of the Sheriff’s Office.
“They (Sheriff’s Office deputies) tracked him to a residence in St. Louis city – they went there and made the arrest. He was arrested without incident,” Moore said.
He said Wilson was taken to the St. Louis city jail for probation violations.
As of 4 p.m. today, Wilson remained in jail there, but eventually he is expected to be transferred to the Jefferson County Jail, Moore reported.
Moore said it is not known how Wilson evaded authorities in Hillsboro and got to St. Louis.
“It’s still under investigation,” he said.
At about 1 p.m. Thursday, according to a probable-cause statement in the case, Jefferson County detectives were investigating a May 17 burglary when they tracked Wilson, a suspect in the crime, to the Express Mart, 900 Peach Tree Drive, in Hillsboro in order to “make the arrest in a controlled location” since deputies believed he would try to flee.
Wilson was arrested, placed in handcuffs behind his back and placed in a patrol vehicle, where he was secured in a seat belt.
Moore said Wilson was somehow able to maneuver the handcuffs to the front of his body, and, according to the probable-cause statement, he “was able to slide to the driver’s seat of the patrol vehicle, place the vehicle in reverse, back out of the parking spot and leave the area at a high rate of speed.”
While backing the vehicle, Wilson allegedly struck the detective in the hip.
Moore said the detective suffered minor injuries, was treated at the scene by paramedics and did not require further medical attention.
Wilson abandoned the police vehicle about one mile away, behind a home in the 900 block of Koogler Drive and fled into a wooded area.
The detective who was struck by the vehicle fired two shots at Wilson as he pulled away, but authorities did not know Thursday if he was hit with a bullet, authorities said.
While processing the rental vehicle Wilson had been driving, authorities allegedly found stolen property, “namely jewelry from the burglary valued at over $30,000,” the probable-cause statement said.
The burglary occurred May 17 in the 200 block of Fawn Ridge in Hillsboro, and the victims reported that four rings, two watches and a 42-inch flat-screen TV, altogether valued at $53,600, were stolen, according to a probable-cause statement from that case.
Wilson was charged with second-degree assault-special victim, a class B felony; first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, a class D felony; and escape from custody, a class E felony. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for the second-degree assault charge, up to four years in prison for the first-degree tampering charge and up to four years in prison for the escape from custody charge.
In addition, Wilson was charged today with stealing from a financial institution, a class B felony that carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
The Hillsboro R-3 schools were on lockdown during the incident and by late afternoon, school officials didn’t know whether the situation would affect the graduation ceremony scheduled for that evening. However, they decided to proceed with the graduation, a spokeswoman for the district said this morning.