KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Platte County jury found a man guilty Thursday of aggravated fleeing of a stop of a motor vehicle and tampering with physical evidence in a high-speed vehicle chase.
A Platte County Sheriff’s Office deputy tried to stop Mario Mitchell, 40, of Kansas City, who was driving a Ford Edge rented by his mother, just before 3 a.m. on April 20, 2025, near Northwest Prairie View Road and Northwest 77th Terrace.
Mitchell stopped at first, but then sped off down Missouri Highway 9. He drove through a Northland neighborhood at about 100 mph, according to a news release from the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office.
The vehicle slammed into a pole at Missouri Highway 9 and Northwest 73rd Street.
The deputy found the vehicle unoccupied and called for backup to help search for Mitchell. He had been hiding in a wooded area near the crash scene, and he was arrested after being spotted by police.
Mitchell could be sentenced to 10 years in prison for fleeing from law enforcement.
Mitchell may face more prison time because of a Missouri law, Valentine's Law, that took effect Aug. 28, 2024, per the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office.
"Make no mistake, we will ask for the maximum sentence in this case,” Interim Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Gibson said in a news release. “People need to learn that when they flee from law enforcement in a dangerous manner and they get caught, their days of running from the law have ended.”
Valentine's Law was named to honor St. Louis County Police Detective Antonio Valentine. Valentine was killed in a 2021 crash involving a fleeing driver.
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