A 41-year-old woman is facing four felony charges after Clay County deputies say she led them on a high-speed chase through the county with her 1-year-old grandchild strapped into a car seat in the back. The child suffered only minor injuries, according to police, despite the vehicle striking two other cars during the pursuit.
The chase began when a Clay County Sheriff's Office deputy attempted to pull over Jessica Stewart's vehicle, which had expired temporary tags, according to KCTV. Instead of stopping, Stewart allegedly sped onto I-35 southbound, clipping another car on Brighton before eventually running a red light and crashing into another car near N. Antioch Road. Deputies eventually took her into custody near NE 48th Street and Brighton in Kansas City, Missouri.
KCTV reports that Stewart was wanted in the Kansas City metro for many retail thefts. She now faces charges of aggravated fleeing a stop causing physical injury, endangering the welfare of a child by creating a substantial risk, escape from custody while under arrest for a felony, and possession of a controlled substance, the Clay County Sheriff's Office said. She is being held on $150,000 bond.
A Toddler in the Back Seat
The child in the back seat was secured in a child safety seat throughout the pursuit, police said, and ultimately suffered only minor injuries despite the two collisions. Stewart faces a child-endangerment count, and police said the 1-year-old was in the back seat during the pursuit, under Missouri Revised Statutes ยง 568.045, which generally makes the offense a Class D felony but escalates to a Class C felony if the child is physically hurt, according to the Revised Statutes of Missouri.
Stewart's fleeing charge falls under what is known statewide as Valentine's Law, a measure Missouri enacted in August 2024 that created a new offense for aggravated fleeing when a driver operates at high speed or in a way that creates a substantial risk of serious injury, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The law is named for St. Louis County Detective Antonio Valentine, who died in a 2021 vehicle pursuit.
Statutory Exposure Climbs After Collision
Aggravated fleeing is identified as a Class D felony, but the available sources do not establish the applicable sentencing range or whether an injury-based enhancement applies to Stewart's case. Stewart's vehicle allegedly struck another car during the chase, but the available sources do not establish whether the physical-injury enhancement applies to her case.
The retail theft allegations add another layer of legal exposure. Missouri theft law generally treats retail theft under $750 as a misdemeanor and theft of property valued at $750 or more as a felony. Missouri also implemented House Bill 495 in August 2025, creating the specific offense of Organized Retail Theft, which makes coordinated or repeated thefts a Class C felony when stolen merchandise totals between $1,500 and $10,000 within a 120-day period, according to the Missouri Sheriffs' Association. The available records do not provide the values, dates or other details of Stewart's alleged retail thefts.
Same Corridor, Familiar Pattern
The Clay County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Will Akin since January 2021, was involved in the vehicle pursuit described above.
This is not the first dangerous pursuit along that same stretch this year. In a 100-MPH chase near Kansas City, Gladstone police and Clay County deputies pursued a stolen vehicle exceeding 100 mph along the same North Antioch Road and I-35 corridor before deploying a grappler device to stop the car. The available sources do not establish details of another recent Clay County case involving aggravated fleeing under Valentine's Law.
The available sources do not establish whether Clay County completed a regional Law Enforcement Resource Center in Kearney in November 2025 or whether it was built to expand tactical and emergency-driving training for deputies and neighboring municipal departments. It remains to be seen how Stewart's case will proceed.
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