A Poplar Bluff man was apprehended early Thursday morning after leading Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs and several deputies on a lengthy pursuit.
Michael W. Hon, 44, of Poplar Bluff sits in the Butler County jail on suspicion of felony stealing, felony resisting arrest by fleeing and felony property damage after the pursuit and after stolen copper allegedly was found in his truck. That is in addition to an outstanding felony parole warrant from a prior incident.
According to a press release from the Butler County Sheriff’s Department, Dobbs and several deputies were on patrol at approximately 2:10 a.m. Thursday in the agricultural region of southern Butler County because of a rash of recent copper thefts.
Dobbs reportedly attempted to stop a dark-colored 2003 Chevrolet truck near the intersection of County Road 307 and Highway 53. The vehicle pulled over briefly on Highway 53, but fled as Dobbs was exiting his patrol car.
A lengthy pursuit then ensued south on Highway 53 to County Road 309 and County Road 316. Other Butler County Sheriff’s deputies assisted Dobbs in the pursuit. After Dobbs briefly lost sight of the truck, Butler County Sheriff’s Corporal Matt Cagel spotted the vehicle on nearby County Road 331 headed north.
The vehicle continued to flee north on County Road as Dobbs closed in from the north and Cagel closed in from the south. Dobbs then blocked the road in order to end the pursuit, but the truck turned sharply to the left, vaulted through a ditch and proceeded through a cornfield for approximately 75 yards. Cagel and Butler County Sheriff’s Deputy Caleb Bridges then ran into the field and took the driver — later revealed to be Hon — into custody without incident after he had fled his vehicle on foot.
A subsequent search warrant was executed on Hon’s truck by Butler County Sheriff’s Investigator Eddie Holloway. During the search, a large quantity of copper wire allegedly was found. The wire is believed to have been stolen from farms in that area.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing.