CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. – One day after an Osage Beach police officer died in a fiery crash while pursuing a suspect in rural Camden County, the driver accused of fleeing from that officer has been charged.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s crash report, the crash happened just after 1:30 a.m. Saturday on Route A, just east of Route C. The crash scene is approximately 18 miles east of Camdenton.
Osage Police Chief Todd Davis said Officer Phylicia Carson was on patrol just before 1:20 a.m. when she noticed a speeding vehicle on westbound Highway 54 near Passover Road. Carson activated her police lights and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the offending driver sped off. Police have identified the driver as Christopher Aaron Bishop Wehmeyer, 23.
Carson pursued Wehmeyer onto Route A when her car began to skid, according to the crash report. Carson’s vehicle went off the road, struck a tree, and caught fire. Carson perished in the crash. She was 33.
Wehmeyer was later apprehended in the area of Route A and Canary Lane, Chief Davis said.
The Camden County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Wehmeyer on Sunday with resisting arrest by fleeing. Wehmeyer remains jailed without bond. No additional information on upcoming court appearances was available as of late Sunday afternoon.
However, during a news conference on Saturday, Prosecuting Attorney Richelle Grosvenor said Wehmeyer would face an additional felony charge under the newly-implemented Valentine’s Law and that other charges could be forthcoming.
According to online Missouri court records, Wehmeyer has two prior misdemeanor convictions: unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia in 2019 and two charges related to improper use of a boat in 2022. He avoided jail time and paid fines in both cases.
Chief Davis said Officer Carson joined the department in June 2023. She leaves behind a husband and their six children.
