GRIMES CO. MAN SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS FOR PURSUIT LEADING TO FIERY CRASH, INJURED DEPUTY

  

A Grimes County man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection to a high speed chase that spanned nearly 30 miles last January that ended with a Grimes County deputy being injured.

35-year-old Steven Benefield of Shiro pled guilty Monday to third-degree felony charges of Evading Arrest with a Vehicle and Bail Jumping.  He was sentenced to 15 years on each case, with the time ordered to run concurrently.

The Grimes County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in Shiro January 28, 2019 for a report of a man, later identified as Benefield, making threats toward his estranged wife.  Benefield fled the scene on a motorcycle as deputies responded to the incident, but was spotted traveling westbound on Highway 30.  After deputies initiated a traffic stop, Benefield sped away, and a pursuit ensued.  The pursuit covered 29 miles and reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour.

A sudden downpour of rain ended the pursuit, causing both the pursing deputy and Benefield to lose control of their vehicles.  The deputy’s vehicle caught fire after hydroplaning off the road, going airborne, overturning multiple times, and striking a tree.  The deputy was hospitalized, but has since made a full recovery.  Benefield, after being medically cleared with minor injuries, was taken to jail for Evading Arrest with a Vehicle.

On October 8, 2019, a jury trial began for Benefield related to the pursuit, but Benefield, who was out of custody on bond, failed to return to court the second day of the trial.  The trial continued, and Benefield was found guilty, but sentencing was not completed.  He was subsequently indicted for bail jumping.

Benefield was taken into custody on February 21, 2020, after the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office received multiple tips on his location.

Benefield is currently in the Grimes County Jail awaiting transfer to prison.