A 23-year-old Kansas City, Mo. woman remains in custody at the Platte County Detention Center after she led authorities on a high-speed chase while traveling the wrong way on Interstate 29 early on the morning of Friday, March 13.
According to a probable cause statement, Amanda Parsons reached speeds upward of 80 miles per hour in a 55 speed limit zone while traveling about 6 miles southbound in the northbound lanes of I-29, causing at least one accident in the process. The vehicle and Parsons were eventually found at a QuikTrip located at U.S. 169 and NW 68th Street in Clay County.
Later in the day, the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office charged Parsons with one count each of felony resisting a stop by fleeing along with misdemeanors for driving the wrong direction on a roadway leading to an accident and exceeding the speed limit by more than 20 miles per hour. Late on Tuesday, March 17, the prosecutor’s office added a misdemeanor charge for DWI stemming from the incident.
Parsons faces more than seven years in prison.
According to court documents, a Platte County Sheriff’s Office deputy observed a silver Ford Taurus enter I-29’s northbound lanes traveling south at about 3:30 a.m. The officer was traveling north at the time and saw the vehicle in front of her swerve to miss the Taurus.
The deputy also avoided a collision before turning around and attempting to stop the vehicle.
Three more vehicles were seen swerving around the Taurus a short time later, including one that wrecked while making an evasive maneuver, before the suspect vehicle then went around a Missouri Highway Patrol unit with its lights and siren activated. After narrowly missing another passing motorist, the deputy in pursuit observed the suspect to be a white female, seen as she reached into the passenger seat with the dome light turned on.
One more passing vehicle swerved around the Taurus before it narrowly avoided colliding head on with a semi after driving around another police vehicle in the roadway with its lights and siren activated. Eventually, the driver, later identified as Parsons, exited at 169 going the wrong direction where two more vehicles were able to escape a collision.
The pursuing deputy lost sight of the Taurus at that time before locating Parsons about 4 minutes later at the QuikTrip, where she was taken into custody.