A Laclede County deputy's attempt to pull over a suspected drunk driver early Sunday, Nov. 1, turned into a high-speed chase that ended with a motorcyclist seriously injured and the driver running off on foot. Investigators later identified the man they believe was behind the wheel as Tyler J. Lowery, and he was eventually found hiding in a bathroom at a Lebanon residence before being taken into custody.
According to the Laclede County Sheriff's Office, a deputy on patrol spotted a vehicle committing several traffic violations at 1:38 a.m. and suspected the driver might have been intoxicated before attempting a traffic stop. Instead of pulling over, the driver fled on Route 66 toward Springfield Road at speeds exceeding 75 mph, the sheriff's office said.
Accounts of exactly where the vehicle struck the motorcyclist differ. The sheriff's office, per the same KRCG report, said the vehicle struck a motorcyclist at the intersection of Springfield Road and Route 66, while KY3 reported the crash happened on Elm Street near Springfield Road on the south side of Lebanon. KY3 also reported that the suspect vehicle reentered the traffic lane before colliding with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
A Chaotic Scene Before the Driver Ran
A separate account from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, relayed by KRMS Radio, described the pursued car running off the road, returning to it, striking a motorcycle, then crossing onto private property and hitting multiple stationary objects before the driver fled on foot. A crash report cited by Yahoo News identified the vehicle as a 2009 Ford Focus that was being pursued by the Laclede County Sheriff's Office when it traveled off the left side of the road, then returned and struck the man riding a 2021 Harley-Davidson before entering private property and hitting several stationary objects.
The motorcyclist, a 39-year-old Lebanon man, was seriously hurt and taken to Mercy Hospital, according to KRMS Radio's report. The driver, meanwhile, fled on foot after the collision, leaving the scene before deputies could make contact.
Warrant Issued, Then a Tip to Dispatch
Investigators identified Lowery as the suspect in the days that followed, and a warrant was issued for him Wednesday, Nov. 4, charging him with leaving the scene of an accident involving physical injury, per KRCG's reporting on the sheriff's office investigation. My Ozarks Online, in its own account of the sheriff's office announcement, similarly noted that the warrant was issued Nov. 4.
The break in the case came the following evening. At 9:31 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, Laclede County Central Dispatch received an anonymous call reporting Lowery's whereabouts, the station's report states. Deputies, Lebanon police officers and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers then responded to a residence in Lebanon, where they found Lowery inside a bathroom.
Resisting Arrest Adds a Second Charge
According to court documents cited in the same report, Lowery resisted as officers escorted him from the residence and continued to resist while officers escorted him to a patrol vehicle. Court documents state he was charged with resisting or interfering with an arrest for a felony, on top of the leaving-the-scene charge tied to the crash.
Lowery was arrested Thursday, Nov. 5. My Ozarks Online also identified Lowery as 23 years old and from Grovespring. Lowery was booked into the Laclede County Jail and is being held without bond, per the report.
