Troy Pursuit Ends with Hot Brakes, Mismatched Headlights and a $15,000 Bond
TROY, Mo. — A speeding sedan disappeared from an officer’s view during a late-night pursuit through Troy, but the search continued. Within about 10 minutes of the attempted stop, officers found a Chrysler 300 parked on Bishop Drive—still hot to the touch and smelling strongly of burnt brakes.
Cainon Lee Collins, 20, now faces a felony charge of aggravated fleeing a stop or detention stemming from the Sept. 29 pursuit. Witness tips helped officers locate the car, while its distinctive headlights and exhaust helped connect it to the vehicle seen speeding through town.
The driver-side headlight pointed noticeably lower than the passenger-side light. When officers later switched on the parked Chrysler’s headlights with Collins’ consent, the same uneven alignment was visible.
Cainon Lee Collins, Troy, Mo.
CHARGES
Aggravated fleeing a stop or detention — Class D felony
The attempted stop began around 10:47 p.m. on Old Moscow Mills Road near Creekwood Boulevard. An officer traveling south encountered a dark sedan heading north at an estimated speed of at least 80 mph. Its engine continued revving as it passed, and the officer noticed the uneven headlights and a louder, deeper exhaust sound.
The officer turned around and activated his emergency equipment. The sedan continued through the roundabout onto South Lincoln Drive, passed the FastLane gas station and turned west onto Travis Boulevard.
The pursuit continued through a stop sign at Travis Boulevard and Third Street, then onto Cherry Blossom Way at speeds exceeding 70 mph. The report describes the sedan passing other vehicles in the center lane and continuing through the pedestrian crossing near Toyota without slowing.
The officer lost sight of it while negotiating a curve near Main Street. After determining that another vehicle’s taillights belonged to an unrelated car, he switched off his emergency equipment and began searching the area.
People at the Victory Lane gas station then flagged him down. They described a dark Chrysler 300 that had sped past and turned onto Castlewood Drive. Another officer who had seen the vehicle pass FastLane also identified it as a Chrysler 300.
That description pointed officers toward a car they already associated with Collins. At approximately 10:57 p.m., a detective located it parked on Bishop Drive.
The car was still hot, and the smell of burnt brakes suggested it had recently been driven hard. Its color, headlight alignment and exhaust sound also matched the sedan from the pursuit.
Collins told officers he had been visiting family in Cottleville and had just returned home. The encounter included observations of slurred speech, swaying and a strong odor of alcohol. Collins said he had consumed one BeatBox beverage.
He also said he was 21. Officers determined he was 20 and noted an empty BeatBox container and a partially consumed tequila bottle on the front passenger floorboard.
The police report references suspected impaired driving and alcohol possession by a minor, but the supplied arrest warrant lists the felony fleeing charge.
No crash or injuries were reported in the supplied account. The pursuit ended with the car parked, officers piecing together its route and a felony case now scheduled for court review.
Collins’ next hearing is Oct. 6 before Judge Michael R. Jacobs in Lincoln County Associate Division III.
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