A House Springs man and a St. Louis man each have been charged with two felonies following a police chase that began in St. Louis on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 3) and ended in Pevely after the pickup Metropolitan St. Louis Police officers were pursuing on I-55 exited onto Hwy. Z and crashed into another vehicle, authorities reported.
No one was hurt in the accident, Pevely Police Chief Tony Moutray said.
St. Louis Police said the two suspects – James E. Allen, 28, of House Springs and Jordan Bonds, 27, of St. Louis – were taken into custody after the accident.
Today (Jan. 4), Allen was charged with one count of resisting arrest by fleeing and creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death, a class E felony punishable by a maximum of four years in prison, and one count of armed criminal action, an unclassified felony punishable by a minimum of three years.
Bonds was charged with one count of statutory sodomy, an unclassified felony that carries a penalty of five years to life in prison, and one count of abuse or neglect of a child, a class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison. Both those charges stem from a Dec. 10 incident in St. Louis, court records show.
Allen was being held today on a $20,000 cash-only bond, and Bonds was being held on a $30,000 cash-only bond, according to court documents.
Police did not say which man was driving during the police chase, but Moutray said both men were in the pickup during the pursuit.
The chase, which traveled south on I-55 through several municipalities, began when St. Louis Police attempted to stop a 1997 Ford F-250 because of an ongoing investigation, authorities said.
Air support assisted police officers during the chase before the pickup crashed into a 2018 Dodge Ram near the Hwy. Z exit. After that collision, the Ford ran off the road, authorities said.
Moutray said his department was alerted about the pursuit at about 3:30 p.m. when the Ford was on I-55 near the Richardson Road exit in Arnold.
Pevely officers were dispatched to the Hwy. Z exit ramp in case their help was needed, and the Ford exited the interstate there at about 3:38 p.m., he said.
The Ford slammed into the side of the Dodge, which got pushed into the concrete medium, and then the Ford went off the side of Hwy. Z about 200 to 300 feet from the accident, Moutray said.
Allen was able to get out of the Ford and run away, but Pevely and St. Louis officers captured him after a short foot chase, Moutray said.
Bonds was unable to get out of the Ford after the accident, and St. Louis Police took him into custody, Moutray added.
He also said a 380-caliber pistol and a substance believed to be ecstasy were found in the Ford.
Moutray said Pevely Police will seek charges against the two men for resisting arrest.