High-speed chase, accident lands car thief in prison

Published 5:57 pm Friday, August 20, 2010

By AARON MUELLER
Niles Daily Star

CASSOPOLIS — An Allegan man, who led police on a high-speed chase from Edwardsburg to Cassopolis in a stolen vehicle, is headed to prison.
Cassopolis Circuit Court Judge Michael Dodge sentenced Roy Evink to 36 months to 10 years in prison with credit for 196 days served on Friday.
The incident began in Kalamazoo April 8 when Evink, 25, drove away in a car that was parked with its engine running. Evink then stopped at a Speedway gas station in Kalamazoo and stole some food before driving to Chemical Bank in Edwardsburg with intentions of robbing it, according to Dodge.
Evink eventually thought better of it and left the bank, but a bank employee called the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. Officers then went on a high-speed chase of the stolen vehicle. Evink was driving at speeds as high as 75 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour zone.
He was able to avoid stop sticks deployed by sheriff’s deputies, as he continued on M-62 into Cassopolis, where he collided with a vehicle driven by Amanda Gonce of Cassopolis. Another woman, Angel Howard, and a 2-year-old girl were also in the vehicle.
After the crash that left all the victims injured, Evink exited the car and fled on foot but was eventually apprehended by police.
“The defendant created multiple hazardous, scary situations to the public,” assistant prosecutor Tiffiny Vohwinkle said. “He is luck someone was not killed.”
Vohwinkle also added that Gonce had a serious liver injury in the crash and Howard was struggling with anxiety and fear of driving since the collision.
Defense attorney Dale Blunier reminded the judge of Evink’s short criminal history and also said he has struggled with mental health issues in the past.
Dodge called Evink’s actions “extremely reckless and dangerous” and his sentence was in the middle of the guidelines.

Ninth drunken driving conviction
Also on Friday, Alvin Schaffer of Cassopolis was sentenced 18 months to 5 years in prison for his ninth drunken driving conviction since 1985. He was on probation for his previous operating while intoxicated conviction when this offense occurred.
Schaffer had been given probation sentences twice before but could not avoid prison this time.
“You’ve simply run out of string,” Dodge said.

Obstructing police officers
Also on Friday, Tyler Nickens of Dowagiac face his sentencing. He turned what could have been a $93 fine into 210 days in jail by resisting and obstructing police officers in July.
Dowagiac Police were arresting Nickens for what Dodge called a “minor matter,” but Nickens resisted and officers had to use a taser to apprehend him.
If Nickens had complied with police, he would have faced at $93 fine or a 14-day stay in jail.
“You took a 14-day jail sentence and made it into a minimum of 150 days,” Dodge told Nickens before sentencing him to 210 days.