A Columbia man wanted for eight felony warrants was apprehended Friday following a two-county car chase, said Lt. Curtis Hall, of the Callaway County Sheriff's Office.
Matthew Hoppe, 38, was wanted on a total of nine warrants. He was additionally arrested for two counts of failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent fashion, two counts of resisting arrest by fleeing, two counts of driving while revoked, speeding, felony possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia (prior offender), littering and identity theft.
At 3:42 p.m. Friday, a deputy patrolling near Kingdom City attempted to stop Hoppe for a traffic violation. Hoppe took off in his vehicle and led the deputy on a pursuit through Fulton on U.S. 54, Hall said. A deputy deployed a tire deflation device near the Route F interchange, which Hoppe struck.
He continued driving westbound on Route F, and due to traffic safety concerns, the deputies called off the chase near Route KK.
At 3:58 p.m., a deputy spotted Hoppe driving south on Route J south of Millersburg. A second chase ensued. The Missouri Highway Patrol deployed tire deflation devices on Route J north of Guthrie. Hoppe once more struck the devices but continued to flee, Hall stated. Near Guthrie, a MSHP aircraft joined the chase.
The chase continued west on Route Y into Boone County, where Hoppe was finally apprehended just outside of Ashland.
A search of Hoppe's vehicle uncovered methamphetamine, Hall said. He also presented deputies with a license belonging to someone else and a fake name.
Hall stated Hoppe was brought to the Callaway County Jail. The bond amount for his warrants totals $176,000, $75,000 of which is cash-only. That amount may rise following the bond-setting for the probable cause charges Hoppe faces following the pursuit.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol (zone troopers and aircraft division), Mustang Drug Task Force, Callaway County Sheriff's Office K9 unit and the Fulton Police Department all assisted with the investigation, Hall added.