Chase suspects plead not guilty to Sept. 27 incident

LAKE ANDES — The two men arrested after a high-speed chase Sept. 27 in Charles Mix and Douglas counties each pleaded not guilty to multiple charges Monday at the Charles Mix County Courthouse in Lake Andes.

The driver, Jacob Abdo, 18, and his passenger, Michael Clark, 27, both of Mitchell, led law enforcement on an hour-and-15-minute pursuit through the two counties. During the chase, Abdo allegedly swerved from lane to lane, drove into oncoming traffic for long distances and attempted to ram a vehicle driven by Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Deputy Neal Moad, court documents say.

The chase ended when the suspects’ vehicle ran out of gas on a gravel road south of Ravinia. The vehicle was later reported stolen out of Howard.

Law enforcement found several allegedly stolen items in the vehicle, including a jar containing coins and jewelry, a laptop, an audio/visual projector, a bag containing gold coins and a loaded 9 mm handgun.

Abdo was arraigned Monday on the charges he faces in Charles Mix County, which include three felonies: aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, receiving stolen property and aggravated eluding; as well as two misdemeanors: possession of a loaded firearm while intoxicated and reckless driving.

Abdo is also charged with four misdemeanors in Douglas County: eluding, reckless driving, driving with a suspended driver’s license and a stop-sign violation. He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine if convicted of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, his most serious charge.

Clark was also arraigned Monday on the charges he faces in Charles Mix County, which include two felonies: receiving stolen property and possession of a firearm with a prior violent crime conviction; as well as one misdemeanor: possession of a loaded firearm while intoxicated.

He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine for receiving stolen property, his most serious charge.

Tags: high speed, lake andes, news, updates, crime, chase, mitchell