Charges Filed In Vehicle Pursuit That Shut Down Highway 160

A Doniphan man was scheduled to be released Tuesday from a psychiatric ward and taken to the Wayne County Jail following a 15-mile vehicle pursuit Sept. 24 that closed U.S. Highway 160 for about 30 minutes near Ringo Ford.

John Hill, 47, is charged with two felony counts of attempted second-degree assault, felony resisting arrest by fleeing, two misdemeanor counts of violating an order of protection and careless driving.

Bond was set at $50,000.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Ripley County Sheriff’s Department, the pursuit began shortly after a deputy was dispatched to the home of Hill’s mother in the Town & Country Subdivision about two miles east of Doniphan.

John Hill was at the residence allegedly in violation of an order of protection.

Deputies reported that the suspect grabbed from a garage a jug containing gasoline, displayed a butane lighter and threatened to set himself on fire while repeatedly telling deputies that ‘you’re here to kill me.’

The suspect reportedly refused to obey instructions to surrender and put the gasoline jug inside a blue Chevrolet pickup truck before backing out of the driveway.

Deputies followed the truck onto Ripley County Road 160E-10 (Brooks Lane) at speeds of 20-30 mph to U.S. Highway 160, where the pursuit turned east with the suspect activating the emergency flashers on his pickup.

The driver allegedly increased his speed and would not allow officers to pass during attempts to stop the vehicle.

Officers with the Doniphan Police Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol joined the pursuit on U.S. Highway 160.

Attempts to contain the suspect’s vehicle were unsuccessful several times with the driver leaving the roadway and also rapidly applying his brakes, nearly striking the law enforcement vehicles.

About one-half mile east of the Butler-Ripley county line, state troopers deployed two spike strips disabling the right front and left rear tires of the vehicle.

The suspect reportedly pulled over briefly on the east side of the Little Black River bridge before continuing another quarter-mile before stopping just east of the slough bridge on U.S. 160.

Deputies reported the suspect exited the vehicle with the gasoline jug in one hand and the lighter in his left. Deputies said the suspect appeared to have doused his clothing with gasoline.

He put both feet over the side of the bridge and sat down.

“He stated again ‘you’re going to kill me,’“ deputies said.

After about 15 minutes of negotiating with officers, Hill reportedly agreed to surrender and was handcuffed by a Doniphan police officer.

The suspect was taken into custody around 3 p.m.

Ripley County Sheriff Mike Barton said officers were preparing to call off the pursuit due to the proximity to Hillview Elementary School, whose buses were preparing to leave campus at the end of the school day. The school is about two miles east from where the pursuit ended in Butler County.

“A highway patrol trooper was at the school to keep the buses from leaving,” Barton said.

Hill was taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center for psychiatric evaluation, the sheriff said.

According to court records, Hill also is scheduled to appear Oct. 9 in Ripley County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing on a felony charge of fourth-degree domestic assault (third or subsequent offense) and unlawful exhibiting of a weapon from an incident that occurred on July 4.