A Springfield man is held on $750,000 bond in the Texas County Jail and faces numerous charges – including three felonies – following a vehicle pursuit through busy intersections Aug. 31 in Cabool.
Cameron Wood was charged with felonies of resisting arrest by fleeing, leaving the scene of an accident (property damage exceeding $1,000) and armed criminal action, and misdemeanors of driving while intoxicated, operating a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, speeding and no insurance.
According to a probable cause statement, a Cabool police officer was advised at about 7:40 a.m. to be on the lookout for a white Chevrolet Corvette that the Missouri State Highway Patrol warned had been last seen heading into Cabool on Highway 181. The officer stated he soon observed a car matching the description in the parking lot at Casey’s General Store. The officer reported that as he approached, he saw a green Jeep Cherokee that had front-end damage directly behind the Corvette. Standing by the Jeep were a man and woman, and the woman was seen picking up the vehicle’s bumper cover.
The officer stated another man was then observed getting into driver’s seat of the Corvette, starting the engine. At that point, the officer knocked on the car’s window and yelled for the man – Wood – to turn off the engine.
Wood reportedly rolled down the window and the officer again ordered him to shut down the engine, which he did. The officer reported smelling alcohol and asking for the key to the car.
Wood reportedly replied that he did, and picked them up out of a cup holder and showed them to the officer.
The officer reportedly then told Wood to put the keys on the roof of the car, but he instead put them back down, pushed the car’s ignition button and placed the shifter in drive.
The officer ordered Wood to cease several times, but he instead drove away at a high rate of speed. The officer pursued, and stated he followed Wood through town as he passed through a stop light without stopping and at an intersection where numerous other vehicles were gathered.
Wood reportedly continued speeding away on Business U.S. 60, and the officer eventually saw the Corvette turn off West U.S. 60 into the Country Aire Trailer Park. Wood was apprehended there by the police officer and a Missouri Department of Conservation officer.
The reporting officer stated Wood had urinated in his pants and continually apologized.
The officer noted that the Jeep had in fact been involved in an accident with Wood’s car, but nobody was injured. It was also noted that video from the police car showed that Wood had been traveling at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour.
The reporting officer also stated that traffic was heavy during the pursuit on Business U.S. 60 due to the hour of the day, which was when students were being shuttled to school.
The intersection where Wood ran the red light is in close proximity to Cabool High School, and many vehicles were present.