A Doyle man faces felony charges after he led Van Buren County officers on a high-speed chase, ramming one of their patrol cars before he was caught in Warren County.
The man, Cody Wayne Wood, 22, has been bound to the grand jury on charges of evading arrest in a motor vehicle, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and drunk driving.
The chase began in neighboring Van Buren County while deputies there tried to pull over Wood’s GMC Sierra for a traffic violation. However, Wood decided not to go peacefully as he led the deputies on a 15-mile chase that spilled onto Highway 70 and then Highway 30 in Warren County.
“He was weaving in and out of traffic,” said Highway Patrolman Tony Myers. “He was also passing other motorists in the emergency lane of Highway 70. He was engaging in conduct that put the motoring public in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm.”
The pursuing officers were able to spin out the fugitive, but he continued to try to flee.
“After being spun around, he tried to flee at deputies and crashed head-on into deputy Shane Ballew,” the trooper said. “After crashing into the deputy, he continued to accelerate the vehicle and push the deputy out of the way.”
Once Wood was subdued a short time later, lawmen noticed he showed signs of impairment. The suspect reportedly admitted to taking hydrocodone and Xanax.