Man Drowns After Police Pursuit in Flooded Missouri
A man has drowned after fleeing from officers in the flooded Missouri Bootheel region.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the body of 40-year-old Rickey G. Lerma, of Risco, was found Thursday morning in the St. Francis River after he fled from officers. KFVS-TV reports that an officer had approached Lerma after Campbell police were contacted about a suspicious person parked in a driveway. Lerma fled after the officer asked him to step out of his vehicle.
Police say Lerma bailed out of his vehicle when it stalled while he attempted to cross a flood zone. A police dog later found him swimming along the flooded river, but Lerma refused orders to return to land.
Police says he had felony warrants in Dunklin County and surrounding counties.