Joyride leads to high-speed car chase, arrests

SIKESTON -- A joyride around the Sikeston golf course evolved into a high-speed vehicle pursuit with law enforcement and resulted in the arrest of two people early Saturday.

Chase Lee, 17, of Bertrand and Michael A. Cavasos, 19, of Sikeston are each charged with felony first-degree property damage, felony resisting arrest/detention/stop by fleeing and creating a substantial risk of serious injury/death to any person. Lee is also charged with misdemeanor of driving while intoxicated with alcohol.

About 6:25 a.m. Saturday, Sikeston Department of Public Safety received a call from a maintenance employee at the Fox Haven Country Club that a pickup truck was doing "doughnuts" on the grass near the second hole of the golf course, according to DPS incident reports.

The club employee apparently got into his vehicle and started following the pickup truck, which was driven by Lee. The vehicles headed toward Rotary Park on Campanella and Linn Streets and eventually traveled onto North Main Street. Sikeston DPS officers attempted to stop the truck which failed to yield.

The truck headed northbound on Highway 61, where speeds reached up to 90 miles per hour, and then turned west onto Highway 77, traveling through Oran and into Chaffee. The truck proceeded westbound onto Highway EE and traveled to Delta, where the driver made a loop through side streets and returned to EE and back toward Chaffee. A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper laid spike strips down in an attempt to stop the truck.

However, Lee's vehicle allegedly ran off the road to avoid the strips. Lee's passenger, Cavasos, jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot into the woods. A Sikeston DPS officer and Scott County deputy followed him into the woods, where they found Cavasos hiding behind a tree.

In the meantime, the truck continued on and struck a trooper's vehicle. About a mile later, the truck was stopped by a police officer in Chaffee city limits. Lee was arrested and taken into custody. The incident ended about 9:20 a.m. Saturday.

Another passenger, a female juvenile, was also taken into custody and released to a family member.

Bond for Lee is set at $3,500 cash only and for Cavasos at $1,500 cash only. Cavasos and Lee are scheduled to be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. today before Scott County Judge Scott T. Horman.