Auxvasse man arrested after high speed chase, crash involving stolen vehicles

A Mid-Missouri man is facing several charges after a high speed chase and crash involving stolen vehicles near Columbia.

Columbia police arrested Joshua Skouby, 24, from Auxvasse Thursday morning.

Police responded to a car wreck on Business Loop 70 East and Old Highway 63 just before 7:00 a.m. Police said Skouby was driving a stolen Robinson’s Cleaners truck, blew through a red light and hit by a box truck. And the collision caused the Robinson’s truck to flip on its side.

An employee at Robinson’s Cleaners on Business Loop 70 East told Abc 17 News a truck was stolen from the business before she got to work Thursday morning. She said the business just got the truck’s windshield repaired Wednesday night, so the keys were left in the truck for the repairman, that is how Skouby reportedly stole the vehicle.

When a passerby saw the wreck and stopped to help, police said Skouby then took their silver Ford Mustang and drove off. Another witness told police Skouby looked like he was hurt in the wreck.

Then around 8:40 a.m., more than an hour and a half later, a police officer saw the stolen silver Mustang near Route B and Highway HH. The driver would not pull over and led the officer on a chase. Police said the car spun out, Skouby got out of the car and tried to run away.

When police caught up with Skouby, he was arrested and taken to the hospital for injuries he received in the early morning crash.

According to police, Skouby is facing eight charges, including four felonies for stealing the vehicles, resisting arrest and more. He is currently being held in the Boone County Jail on a bond of more than $20,000. He is set to appear in court Friday afternoon.

Skouby has been in prison before for leaving the scene of an accident, tampering with a motor vehicle and burglary, according to court records. An official with the Missouri Department of Corrections said Skouby was paroled from prison last September.