Kzoo Co escapee arrested after MO chase

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - The Kalamazoo County Jail inmate who walked away from a work assignment Monday was arrested Thursday after allegedly leading Missouri authorities on a high-speed chase.

Ross Emerson Culver, 29, was originally incarcerated for a home invasion and uttering-and-publishing case. He was on an inmate work assignment Monday when he left the jail area on foot just after noon. At the time, authorities said he was not considered a threat to the public.

Around 9 a.m. Thursday, an electronic license plate reader along I-70 in Cooper County, Missouri flagged a vehicle that had been reported as stolen from Kalamazoo, according to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office.

A local police agency was alerted, spotted the vehicle and attempted to pull it over.

Culver did not pull over, authorities say. Instead, he allegedly led police from multiple jurisdictions on a half-hour chase at speeds in excess of 100 mph. He eventually crashed his vehicle and was arrested.

He originally gave Missouri authorities a false name, according to the Sheriff's Office. It was about three hours before his identity became known.

Culver now faces multiple charges Missouri and is being held in the Cooper County jail.

After the judicial process in Missouri is finished, Culver will return to Kalamazoo County to face more charges related to the auto theft and escape, according to the Sheriff's Office.