A St. Joseph man has been charged with a felony for resisting arrest during a high-speed chase recently in Lafayette County.
According to a probable-cause statement at approximately 7:15 p.m. on June 24, the Missouri State Highway Patrol was advised of a hit-and-run suspect, 46-year-old Wannis Wider Jr., who eluded officers from the Independence Police Department and was traveling eastbound on I-70 in a Jeep Cherokee.
During the pursuit, Widner was noticed to be traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour and avoided spike strips at several locations, where at point he traveled off-road and ran through a fence to get to an outer road. The high-speed chase eventually ended as Widner crashed the vehicle at the intersection of Missouri Highway 23 and Route PP, just south of Concordia.
Online court documents say Widner has been charged with a Class E Felony for Resisting Arrest by Fleeing-Creating a Substantial Risk of Serious Injury or Death to Any Person and a drug-related misdemeanor. Bond was set at $25,000 cash or surety.
Widner’s initial hearing at Lafayette County Circuit Court is pending.