Pike County Sheriff Stephen Korte releases the following information;

On December 15 a routine traffic stop ended in a high speed pursuit and four arrests. A traffic stop was initiated on U.S. Highway 61 near Cyrene. A Pike County Sheriff’s Office Canine Deputy and a member of the Pike County Drug Enforcement Team arrived to assist. When the driver exited the vehicle to perform sobriety tests and so the narcotic dog sniff of the vehicle could be performed, a passenger jumped into the driver’s seat and the vehicle fled from the scene without the owner’s, who was also a passenger in the vehicle, permission. Deputies pursued the vehicle until the suspect vehicle encountered engine troubles. The driver of the vehicle ran from officers on foot through a wooded area before being captured. A search of the vehicle revealed cocaine and paraphernalia consistent with the illegal use of cocaine.

Deputies arrested Charles Dean, 31, of Hannibal. Dean has been charged with a Class B Felony of Tampering with a Motor Vehicle and Possession of Cocaine. Dean’s bond has been set at $15,000 cash only. Information was received that Dean was a suspect in an assault to a law enforcement officer in Hannibal, Missouri that had previously occurred. Dean’s associate, Jermaine Johnson, was also arrested during this pursuit. Detectives interviewed Johnson and contacted detectives with the Hannibal Police department. The information obtained during the interview was transferred to Hannibal detectives and arrest warrants were obtained for Johnson and Dean through Marion County Associate Court. Dean was charged with a Class B Felony of Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer and his bond was set at $100,000 cash only. Johnson was charged with a Class D felony of Hindering Prosecution and his bond was set at $25,000 cash only.