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NewsFebruary 23, 2007

POTOSI, Mo. (AP) -- The mother of a man accused of fleeing after leading police on a dangerous chase is pleading with her son to turn himself in. The Washington County Sheriff's Department is calling Phillip Emily, 32, potentially armed and dangerous. He has eluded officers since Tuesday after a police chase that began in Potosi and eventually reached speeds of 115 mph...

POTOSI, Mo. (AP) -- The mother of a man accused of fleeing after leading police on a dangerous chase is pleading with her son to turn himself in.

The Washington County Sheriff's Department is calling Phillip Emily, 32, potentially armed and dangerous. He has eluded officers since Tuesday after a police chase that began in Potosi and eventually reached speeds of 115 mph.

The suspect's stolen pickup truck hit two other vehicles before crashing and bursting into flames, police said. The man then ran into the woods.

Emily's mother, Linda Courtway of Cadet, pleaded through the media for her son to surrender -- but not to the agency looking for him, the sheriff's department.

"They're going to shoot to kill," she said.

Courtway said Emily called her Thursday afternoon to say he was fine but laying low.

Washington County prosecutor John Rupp has charged Emily, of Richwoods, with two counts of second-degree assault, resisting a lawful stop, tampering with a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident.

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Court records show a deputy tried to pull over Emily for operating a Dodge Ram pickup that had been reported stolen earlier this month in St. Charles County. A chase began.

Both drivers of cars struck during the chase were hurt. Rodney Nelson, 52, of Potosi, had moderate injuries. Kermit Schrum, 30, of Potosi, had minor injuries.

The truck eventually struck a tree, causing a tank in the back filled with anhydrous ammonia to explode and catch fire, Rupp said. The chemical is often a component of methamphetamine production. Rupp said he will probably file an additional charge against Emily for possession of the chemical with intent to create a controlled substance.

Officers said a loaded firearm was found near the truck after the suspect ran away.

Emily was charged late last year with third-degree domestic assault, a misdemeanor. In 1995, he was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing and burglary in Franklin County.

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Information from: Park Hills Journal, www.dailyjournalonline.com.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, www.stltoday.com.

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