A high speed pursuit involving Stroud police and a Lincoln County deputy resulted in six charges being filed against an Oklahoma City man.
One felony and five misdemeanor county were formally filed in Lincoln County District Court May 19 against Michael Cleophus Stewart, 53, of Oklahoma City.
The felony against him is for endangering others while eluding/attempting to elude police officer.
That count accuses Stewart of increasing his speed in an attempt to elude Stroud Police Officer Levi Bruder, endangering the public on April 19 in Lincoln County.
A failure to yield for emergency vehicle charge states he failed to stop and pull over to the right side of the road when approached by Officer Bruder’s vehicle with audible sirens and red flashing lights, indicating the necessity of the stop on the same date.
Stewart is charged with possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance by being in possession of methamphetamine on the same date.
He is accused with another CDS charge for being in possession of marijuana also.
A fourth misdemeanor charges Stewart with driving while license cancelled, suspended, or revoked by operating a motor vehicle, a motorcycle, on the public roadway of Highway 99 while his driver’s license was cancelled on April 19, 2021.
And the fifth misdemeanor count is for reckless driving, for operating his motorcycle on Highway 99 in a careless and wanton manner that exceeded the speed limit and was heedless of the other drivers on the road that same date.
In a probable cause affidavit, Officer Bruder states he spotted Stewart driving a motorcycle about 7:45 p.m. on April 19 and from previous encounters he knew Stewart didn’t have a current driver’s license.
Bruder said he activated his emergency lights and advised Stroud Dispatch that he would be on a traffic stop in the parking lot of a convenience store. When he made contact with Stewart, Bruder said Stewart told him he knew he didn’t have a driver’s license and that he was just trying to work to get it back.
Bruder advised Stewart he understood and that he would work with him. He asked Stewart if he had any marijuana on him ,because he could smell it and Stewart told him he had smoked a few hours ago.
The officer told Stewart to turn off the motorcycle and step off so he could talk to him.
Stewart followed the commands, and turned the motorcycle off and handed the officer his helmet.
Then, Bruder states, Stewart became agitated, told the officer he wasn’t doing anything wrong, and turned the ignition back on. Bruder warned Stewart not to take off on him, that he would work with him, but Stewart said he just wanted to go home and took off on the officer and the pursuit began going southbound on SH 99 from SH 66.
Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Jimmy Brown was just south of Stroud and he advised Bruder he would wait for the motorcycle.
The Stroud officer advised his Dispatch that Stewart’s speed was 100 miles per hour and that he had passed multiple vehicles.
Bruder said speeds in the pursuit reached nearly 130 miles per hour. Stewart made a u-turn and headed back north on SH 99, turning east on Elm Street, then north on S. 1st from Elm and laid his motorcycle over at Mac Street and 2nd Avenue, where Bruder took him into custody.