Inset: Christopher S. Pearson (St. Louis, Mo., Police Department). Background: The area in St. Louis where Pearson allegedly abandoned his infant child (Google Maps).
A 36-year-old father in Missouri is accused of abandoning his infant in the middle of a St. Louis roadway, lying to the child's mother about where the baby was — then hours later leading police on a chase that ended only after he drove through two fences and allegedly tossed a handgun from his car.
Christopher Sean Pearson is charged with one count of first-degree child endangerment and one count of resisting arrest by fleeing, creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death to a person, court records show.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in connection with the child endangerment charge, officers with the St. Louis Police Department responded to the area of Goodfellow Boulevard and Natural Bridge Road after receiving a report of "an abandoned infant in a car seat in a driving lane" on July 15.
Witnesses told investigators they watched "the driver of a blue Tesla abandon the car seat in the road" and drive away. One witness initially believed the carrier was empty, but "did end up moving the car seat and the infant out of the road when she realized the car seat was occupied," the affidavit states.
Soon after allegedly leaving the baby, Pearson answered a phone call from the child's mother, who asked where the baby was because he had been watching the child. Pearson allegedly told her that he had "left the kid outside a police station."
Police later located Pearson driving the same Tesla, which court documents say was registered to him.
According to a separate affidavit, officers recognized the vehicle as being wanted in connection with the child endangerment incident on Goodfellow Boulevard.
"The car passed directly in front of us and the defendant looked at us, and then sped away," the affidavit states.
Police said they witnessed Pearson ignoring numerous traffic controls and "nearly causing collisions with other vehicles" as they pursued the Tesla. Police attempted to deploy spike strips, but Pearson avoided them.
"He approached a dead end and jumped the curb and drove through a fence into a yard, then through another fence, over another sidewalk, until finally stopping," police wrote. "While fleeing, he threw a pistol from the vehicle."
Following Pearson's arrest, police said they searched the Tesla and recovered two additional firearms.
The affidavit further noted that Pearson has a criminal history dating back to 2007, which includes several failures to appear, and noted that he would "not likely voluntarily appear" for a hearing.
Pearson appeared in St. Louis Circuit Court Thursday, when a judge ordered him to remain in detention without bond after finding probable cause to believe he would not appear if released and that he posed "a danger to the crime victim, the community, or another person."
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