Man charged in Columbia chase
Prosecutors charged a man with kidnapping, drug possession and resisting arrest after he allegedly led Columbia police on a chase along city streets and Interstate 70.
Aleem S. Thompson was charged Friday with drug possession, second-degree kidnapping and resisting arrest.
Thompson drove away from officers Thursday night during a traffic stop on Vandiver Drive after an officer told Thompson he smelled marijuana in the car, according to a probable cause statement. Thompson drove onto Interstate 70, where he weaved in and out of traffic and reached speeds higher than 100 mph, the statement said.
The car got off I-70 at Midway and dropped off a woman who had been in the passenger seat at the Midway Travel Plaza, police said. The woman was distraught and looked as if she’d been crying, and she told police she had been on a date with Thompson before the traffic stop, according to the statement.
Law enforcement called off the pursuit after losing sight of Thompson near Smiley Lane and Derby Ridge Drive, the statement said.
Investigators later found a backpack containing methamphetamine and marijuana that a witness said was thrown from the car during the chase, according to the statement.
Thompson’s bond was set at $60,000 cash.
