West Plains, MO. – A Mountain View man was arrested on Monday following a high-speed chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
Kobie Weston Bunch, age 21, is charged with Resisting Arrest by Fleeing – creating a substantial risk of serious injury/death to any person.
According to the probable cause statement, on Oct. 24, 2023, at 1:40 a.m. Mountain View Police attempted to stop a red Chevy truck when it drove off at a high rate of speed. Howell County Sheriff’s deputies joined the chase and pursued the vehicle at speeds over 100 mph. The truck managed to lose law enforcement near County Road 2790 but, the vehicle reappeared nearby on County Road 3400 and was stopped at the intersection of Highway NN and the dirt road.
After being detained, the suspect denied having been drinking but, was noted that his breath smelled of alcohol. Bunch refused a breath analyzer. Passengers of the truck informed police that Bunch had recently had a breathalyzer for car ignition installed from a prior DWI. According to online court documents, the previous DWI occurred in May 2022, when the suspect was 20 years old, and included a misdemeanor charge of 2nd-degree property damage.
Authorities also noted heavy damage to the Chevy on the front end of the truck, a missing passenger mirror, and part of the rear bumper missing. Passengers told police that Bunch had crashed the truck at C.R. 3400 and 2670. At the crash site, police located skid marks, the missing mirror, and a piece of the rear bumper.
Bunch was released from the Howell County Jail on a $5,000 surety bond and is scheduled to return to court on November 6, 2023.
