By Fox23.com News Staff
WAGONER COUNTY, Okla. — The Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office said deputies arrested a man accused of leading a dangerous high speed chase on Friday.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, a WCSO deputy said they noticed a car driving with defective equipment and attempted to conduct a traffic stop near Highway 51 and South 385th East Avenue.
Authorities said the car briefly stopped before suddenly driving away, causing deputies to initiate a pursuit westbound on Highway 51.
According to law enforcement, the driver didn’t properly drive in one lane, failed to comply with stop signs or traffic lights and reached speeds of over 90 miles per hour, leading to the endangerment of several other drivers throughout the chase.
Once the pursuit crossed into Coweta, WCSO said the Coweta Police Department and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol joined the chase.
Authorities said the car pulled into a private driveway before the driver leapt out and ran into a nearby wooded area.
Law enforcement stated they established a perimeter and attempted to search for the suspect using a K-9 unit and drone support from Wagoner County Emergency Management.
However, the sheriff’s office said the search had to be called off due to hazardous weather conditions.
The next morning, deputies said they began following up on the case using information they’d learned during the initial incident.
Deputies said they eventually were able to respond to reports of a suspicious person who matched the suspect’s description located near East 161st Street South and South 257th East Avenue around 10:20 a.m.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies once again established a perimeter and were able to confirm the suspect was the same man who led the pursuit the night before.
Deputies said they then received information stating the suspect was hiding in a drainage culvert near East 161st Street South.
The sheriff’s office said deputies were quickly sent to the area and were able to locate the suspect and take him into custody.
Authorities said the suspect was identified as Cody R. Meeks from Denver, Colorado, and said Meeks had several outstanding warrants, including one issued by the Rogers County Sherriff’s Office.
Deputies said Meeks was also on parole through the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Meeks was taken to the Wagoner County Jail.
Wagoner County Sherriff Chris Elliott stated, “I’m proud of the coordinated effort by our deputies and our partner agencies in bringing this situation to a safe conclusion. Despite dangerous conditions and the suspect’s attempts to evade law enforcement, our team remained committed and resolved the incident without injury to the public or our personnel. This case is a strong example of persistence and [the] teamwork we rely on every day to keep Wagoner County safe.”
Meeks is set to face the following charges in Wagoner County:
- Eluding While Endangering Others
- Reckless Driving
- Driving Under Suspension
- Failure to Maintain Insurance
- Speeding
- Failure to Obey Traffic Control Devices
- Improper/Defective Equipment
He’s also set to face charges associated with his outstanding warrants.
