The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Local News

November 3, 2009

<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/policeandfire.gif" border=0 > Man being held for mental exam after car pursuit



CASSVILLE, Mo. — A man reported to have been in a suicidal frame of mind led law officers on a vehicle pursuit from Monett to Cassville.

Barry County Sheriff Mick Epperly said deputies responding to a report Friday night of a suicidal male in his 40s began pursuing a red Ford Mustang he was driving on Farm Road 1090. The sheriff said the driver refused to stop, and the pursuit continued on U.S. Highway 60 to Highway 37 and south to Cassville at speeds ranging from 60 to 80 mph.

The driver managed to avoid tire deflaters put out by officers at Highway 37 and Business Highway 37 north of Cassville, and continued down Main Street until he encountered a roadblock set up by Cassville police and sheriff’s deputies at 11th Street, Epperly said. The man was stopped and taken into custody at that point, the sheriff said.

Epperly said the man was believed to have taken a large dose of prescription medicine in an effort to harm himself. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and a mental-health evaluation.

The sheriff said the man is facing a number of charges related to the pursuit.

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