Police pursuit ends in crash that kills two, injures two

Two Cape Girardeau County residents were killed late Saturday evening in an automobile accident near Whitewater.

The Chaffee Police Department was in pursuit of the vehicle, which was driven by Garrett K. Williams, 19, of Allenville. The vehicle was traveling northbound on Route U, five miles west of Whitewater, when it ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree at about 11:40 p.m.

Williams and a passenger, Debra P. Johnson, 46, of Delta, were pronounced dead at the scene by Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton.

Two other passengers, Daniel L. Moore, 20, and Betina M. Ott, 23, both of Chaffee, suffered serious injuries and were transported by ambulance to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Ott was later transported to a St. Louis hospital, Clifton said.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Ott was the only passenger wearing a seatbelt.

It is unknown why the Chaffee Police Department was pursuing the vehicle. Telephone calls to the department's chief, Martin Keys, were not returned late Sunday evening.