JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri motorists would face stiffer penalties if they ignore attempts by police to pull them over under a measure advancing in the Legislature.
A Senate panel heard testimony Monday on a House bill that creates the felony offense of aggravated fleeing a police stop. A person could be charged with the crime if they attempt to drive away when they know a law enforcement officer is attempting to detain or stop the vehicle.
“It has become an epidemic,†said Rep. Justin Sparks, a former ºüÀêÊÓƵ County police officer from Wildwood who is sponsoring the measure. “This occurs every hour on the hour, suspects running from the police for reasons unknown.â€
The proposal, which has bipartisan support, won House approval last month.
The legislation is known as “Valentine’s Law†in honor of ºüÀêÊÓƵ County police Detective Antonio Valentine, who was killed Dec. 1, 2021, in a head-on car crash in Bellefontaine Neighbors while working with other drug unit detectives conducting an investigation in the area.
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Police and members of the public say they are seeing a startling increase in motorists driving erratically and fleeing from the police after committing a crime, placing the public and police officers in danger.
The measure has the backing of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Police Association, sheriffs, prosecutors and other law enforcement groups.
“We think this bill is a great step in deterring that behavior,†said Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Locke Thompson.
Lt. Col. Jason Law of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Police Department also told members of the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence that the law would serve as a deterrent to motorists.
In ºüÀêÊÓƵ County, officials said they counted 2,700 incidents in which people sped away from police last year.
“That’s a lot of cars,†said Law.
In Valentine’s case, the vehicle that crashed at high speed into the detective’s unmarked van was fleeing from police near Chambers Road and Crete Drive.
The crash happened near a shopping center with a Family Dollar store and left car parts and other debris strewn across the road.
“He was my friend and he was my colleague, and I was there that day,†Sparks said.
Specifically, the offense of aggravated fleeing a police stop kicks in if the driver operates a vehicle at a high rate of speed or in a way that creates a risk of serious physical injury or death.
A motorist could be charged with a class D felony without eligibility for probation, parole or conditional release until the person has served at least one year of his or her sentence.
If a death is caused, the charges could be increased to class A felony carrying a sentence of a minimum 10 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years or life imprisonment.
The legislation is .