Crystal A. Mahan, d/o/b 11-03-1978, of Springfield, Missouri, pled guilty on Thursday, August 15th, to the class D felony of resisting a lawful stop. Taney County Circuit Court Judge Mark Orr sentenced Mahan to five (5) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, pursuant to a plea agreement Mahan had entered into with the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office.

On the late morning of February 9, 2013, Troop D headquarters notified Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper E.L. Tyrrell of a pursuit being conducted by the Ozark Police Department. Trooper Tyrrell began assisting in the pursuit of a white 1995 Ford F-150, suspected to be occupied by suspects in a parental kidnapping investigation. The pursuit took law enforcement from Christian County, through Stone and Taney Counties, then back to Christian County, at excessive speeds, swerving in-and-out of traffic and turning across highway medians. The Ford pickup – driven by Mahan – eventually drove through several fences and fields, stopping just north of Goff Creek Road, in Christian County.

Although the class D felony of resisting a lawful stop normally carries a maximum prison sentence of four (4) years, Mahan was subject to an enhanced maximum prison sentence because she is a prior and persistent felony offender. Mahan’s five (5) year sentence was only for her acts of evading officers while passing through Taney County. Mahan was not charged in Taney County for the property damage she caused to fences and fields in Christian County.