A Jefferson City man was arrested Friday for allegedly leading the Missouri Highway Patrol on a high-speed, eight minute car chase after fleeing a traffic stop.
Steven L. Heflin, 37, was charged Saturday with resisting arrest, detention or stop by fleeing, creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death to any person - a class E felony.
A trooper observed a black Mitsubishi traveling eastbound on U.S. 50 near Militia Drive around 9:40 p.m., according to the probable cause statement. The vehicle veered partially onto the shoulder of the roadway, and the trooper saw that the driver of the vehicle was trying to use a cellphone in one hand and drive with the other.
The trooper activated his emergency lights to signal the vehicle to pull over. The driver of the Mitsubishi initially did that, but then accelerated back onto the road.
At that point, the trooper said, he turned on his siren and pursued the vehicle "at speeds reaching 93 miles per hour."
The driver of the Mitsubishi passed several vehicles in both the left and right lanes while attempting to elude the trooper.
The chase ended when the driver voluntarily stopped the vehicle at the Osage Campground at 10407 Marina Road. The trooper arrested the driver, identified as Heflin.
Heflin was transported to the Cole County Jail and was issued citations for careless and imprudent driving, driving with a revoked license and exceeding the posted speed limit by 26 miles per hour or more.
A warrant for the felony charge was filed Saturday, and Heflin's bail was set at $25,000 cash.