OSAGE BEACH, Mo. — A Camden County man is facing charges after an Osage Beach police officer died in a high-speed car chase Saturday morning.
The Camden County Prosecuting Attorney charged Christopher Aaron Bishop Wehmeyer of Camdenton with aggravated fleeing a stop or detention of a motor vehicle, causing a death.
The charges are related to the death of Osage Beach police officer Phylicia Carson, according to a news release.
The release also said the charges are based on a new state law that went into effect Wednesday. That law is "Valentine's Law," which created the offense of aggravated fleeing a stop or detention of a motor vehicle.
Judge Heather Miller of the 26th Judicial Circuit denied bond for Wehmeyer. He is facing a Class A felony which carries a sentence between 10 and 30 years.
Carson was assisting in a traffic stop on a vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed on U.S. Highway 54, the Osage Beach Police Chief Todd Davis said in a news conference, according to KOMU.
Carson's car was found in flames on the side of the road, and the speeding driver crashed before they were taken into custody.
Carson leaves behind a husband and six children. She started with the Osage Beach Police Department in June 2023.
Governor Mike Parson posted a message of support on social media.
"Teresa and I lift up her family and the Osage Beach community in our prayers. Officer Carson will not be forgotten," Parson's post on X, formerly known as Twitter, read.
Camden County Sheriff's deputies were helping to cover calls for service in Osage Beach while the Osage Beach Police Department made arrangements.