January 16, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
The driver of a stolen van is facing several charges after he led Smithville Police on a short pursuit before crashing the vehicle.
33 year old Michael Brandon Colwell of Tisdale Drive is charged with theft of property over $1,000, evading arrest by a motor vehicle, and a second offense of driving under the influence. He was also cited for speeding and driving on a revoked license.
His bond totals $18,000 and he will make a court appearance January 25.
The incident occurred at around 9:32 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2.
According to the police report and arrest warrant, Sergeant Travis Bryant of the Smithville Police Department attempted to stop a white Nissan Quest van for speeding 53 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone. “I attempted to stop the van for a traffic violation. I did observe the van increase its initial speed after I initiated both lights and sirens on my marked patrol vehicle. The vehicle did not stop and continued to flee until the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed at the intersection of Dearman Street and Bright Hill Road. The driver, Colwell was arrested without incident.
“Colwell was found to be unsteady on his feet and he had slurred speech. Colwell stated he had drank a lot of alcohol. Colwell had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and person. Due to the circumstances of the stop, field sobriety was not administered,” according to the complaint.
During the crash investigation, police learned that the van was stolen.
“Colwell said he took the van without consent or knowledge of the owner. The owner discovered her vehicle missing and notified law enforcement of the theft on January 3 at 9:45 a.m. The van was crashed when Colwell attempted to flee from law enforcement on January 2. The vehicle was recovered with major damage. The value of the van is estimated at $5,000,” according to the complaint.