Jefferson City man charged in multi-county car chase

Logan R. Phillips, of Jefferson City, has been charged with two felony and three misdemeanor counts related to a car chase earlier this month involving Cole County Sheriff's officers.

The Cole County prosecuting attorney charged Phillips on Monday with the class D felony of tampering in the first degree, the class E felony of resisting arrest, the class B misdemeanor of careless and imprudent driving, the class B misdemeanor of property damage in the second degree and the class A misdemeanor of failure to yield to an emergency vehicle. He is being held on $5,000 bond.

According to the probable cause statement, a Cole County Sheriff's deputy reported the suspect vehicle in a June 9 hit-and-run at the Mendards had turned onto Route C, headed towards Russellville.

When the deputy got to Rock Bridge Road and Route C prior to the vehicle, a Buick LeSabre later reported to be stolen, passed and the deputy gave chase.

Dispatchers advised the deputy the vehicle had been stopped two days earlier and the driver had been identified as Phillips.

The officer said the hit-and-run victim later identified the driver as Phillips.

During the chase, the Buick passed vehicles on Route C by driving into oncoming lanes of traffic and using the shoulder, At one point, the officer ended the pursuit because of the danger to other drivers, but resumed once traffic thinned out.

The chase continued through Moniteau, Miller and Morgan Counties.

The officer ended her pursuit on Missouri 52 near Route C because her car was running low on fuel. Eldon Police continued the chase and eventually took the driver into custody in Laurie after the vehicle's tires were spiked.

According to the statement, the defendant admitted to a Laurie police officer he had stolen the vehicle in Taos a couple of days before. The owner told officers she had believed her vehicle was still in the shop.

The hit-and-run accident was determined to be a felony because the victim received injuries.

Phillips is currently being held in the Morgan County Jail on that county's local charges from the chase. A passenger in the car, later identified as Brandon M. Gibson, was transported to the Cole County Jail by Jefferson City police for pending charges in an unrelated case.