A Platte County jury has convicted 40-year-old Kansas City resident Mario Mitchell of aggravated fleeing and tampering with physical evidence after a chase that reached roughly 100 mph on a road posted for 30 and ended with deputies finding him hiding in the woods near his crashed rental car. The case stems from an encounter just before 3 a.m. on April 20, 2025, and Mitchell now faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in January 2027.
According to kansascity.com, the case began when Platte County Deputy Sheriff Kaven McGary tried to stop a white Ford Edge with Texas plates near Northwest Prairie View and Northwest 77th Terrace for a moving violation. The Ford briefly stopped before fleeing onto Missouri 9 Highway, then turned onto Northwest Belvidere and headed westbound. Deputy McGary determined the SUV was going approximately 100 mph on Belvidere, a road with a 30 mph speed limit, after the driver made a U-turn and sped off eastbound.
Driver Found Hiding Near the Wrecked SUV
McGary lost sight of the Ford Edge after it turned south back onto Missouri 9 Highway, but it soon turned up wrecked, having crashed into a pole near Northwest 73rd and the highway. The vehicle was found running with its tires still spinning and no one inside, per the same account. Inside, the deputy reported finding an alcohol bottle along with the odor of alcohol and marijuana, as well as a phone whose screen lock showed a black male standing beside a child.
As the Ford Edge was being loaded onto a tow truck, McGary spotted a black man hiding in the nearby woods and matched him to the person pictured on the phone's lock screen. Sgt. Jessica Duda arrived on scene, and deputies identified the man as Mitchell before arresting him and taking him to the Platte County Jail. A Platte County judge authorized a warrant to draw Mitchell's blood to check for intoxication, but The Kansas City Star reports that Mitchell refused to comply. The Ford Edge had reportedly been rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car by Mitchell's mother several days before the chase.
Charged as a Persistent Offender Under Valentine's Law
Mitchell was charged under Missouri's Valentine's Law, which took effect Aug. 28, 2024, and toughens penalties for fleeing law enforcement at a high rate of speed or in a dangerous manner, the article notes. As kctv5.com reports, the law makes it a felony to drive away from an officer attempting a traffic stop and is named for St. Louis County police detective Antonio Valentine, who died in 2021 in a crash involving a fleeing driver.
Prosecutors charged Mitchell as a prior and persistent felony offender, citing two previous felony convictions, which allows for enhanced punishment under Missouri law. Under the statute defining that status, a persistent offender is someone found guilty of two or more felonies committed at different times, or someone previously convicted of a qualifying dangerous felony, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. The tampering with physical evidence count is a misdemeanor, which under Missouri statute remains a class A misdemeanor unless the conduct impairs or obstructs the prosecution or defense of a felony case.
Maximum Sentence Expected in January
Mitchell faces up to 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on the aggravated fleeing count and one year in the Platte County Jail on the tampering count, per kctv5.com's report. Final sentencing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2027. Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Gibson said his office will ask for the maximum sentence in the case, and he said his office vigorously prosecutes dangerous fleeing from law enforcement. Assistant prosecuting attorneys Zachary McKnight and Jaclyn Taylor prosecuted the case, while the Platte County Sheriff's Office investigated.
Mitchell's conviction follows a similar case involving Trenton Parker in Clay County, Missouri.
