Owensville Teen Caught After Car, Foot Pursuits

A Gasconade County teen led Franklin County deputies on an extended chase south of Union early Friday before being apprehended several hours later.

The incident started about 2 a.m. when deputies were notified that two suspects in a white Pontiac had left without paying for gas at the Midwest Petroleum station on Highway 47 in Union.

A deputy who was responding to the report saw the vehicle on Highway 47. When he attempted to stop it, the driver made a sharp turn onto Highway AD, north of St. Clair and headed west at a high rate of speed.

As the vehicle approached Sunset Lane and North Bend Loop Road, the driver failed to slow down. The car crossed the intersection and struck a wooden trash can holder, a large tree and ended up against a pickup truck, the sheriff’s office reported. The driver fled but the passenger was pinned in the car. He was later taken to Mercy Hospital Washington for examination.

As deputies were searching for the driver a report came in that an SUV with a trailer had been stolen from a residence a short distance from where the crash occurred.

A deputy en route to the scene saw the stolen vehicle approaching the North Bend and North Bend Loop Road intersection and used road spikes to deflate the tires. The vehicle hit the spikes, then crashed into a utility pole, according to the report.

The driver then fled on foot into a wooded area near River Hawk Trail Drive.

The suspect, age 18, from Owensville was arrested about 6:45 a.m. Friday when deputies responded to a report of a suspicious person near a residence on North Bend Road.

Second Pursuit

While deputies were attempting to catch the Owensville teen, they became involved in a brief pursuit on North Bend when the driver of a yellow Chevrolet Camaro attempted to elude officers. That suspect drove off the side of the road and fled into a wooded area.

The sheriff’s office identified that driver as a 34-year-old Union man who is known to deputies. They are seeking to arrest him.

Meth lab components were found inside the Camaro, according to the report.