A 36-year-old convicted felon accused of leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase pleaded no contest in a Marion County courtroom, just minutes before his trial was set to begin.
On Thursday, July 17, Jeremy Donye Walker entered a plea in court shortly before jurors were scheduled to hear the prosecution’s evidence against him. He pleaded no contest to the following charges: fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, possession with the intent to sell hydromorphone, possession of ammunition by a felon, no motor vehicle registration, and no valid driver’s license.
After being convicted on the above charges, Walker was sentenced to six years in prison, which will be followed by four years of probation. He will also be required to pay court fees and fines, along with completing mandated mental health treatment upon his release.
According to court records, an MCSO deputy was on patrol in Umatilla on March 6 when a gray Ford Focus was observed weaving in and out of lanes. The vehicle was also decelerating and accelerating intermittently.
The deputy caught up to the vehicle and estimated that it was traveling at around 90 miles per hour. A traffic stop was attempted, but the vehicle’s driver – later identified as Walker – refused to pull over and instead veered into the oncoming lanes of traffic.
Additional deputies responded to the area to assist with the pursuit. One of the deputies deployed stop sticks on the roadway several miles ahead, which deflated the tires on Walker’s vehicle. Moments later, Walker’s vehicle came to a stop, and he was taken into custody without further incident.
During a search of Walker’s vehicle, deputies spotted a clear baggie containing pills on the driver’s side floorboard, and the pills were identified as hydromorphone. A yellow backpack was also recovered, which had been tossed out of Walker’s vehicle during the pursuit, and it contained three live rounds of 9mm ammunition.
A criminal history search of Walker revealed that he was a convicted felon. Additionally, he did not possess a valid registration for the vehicle or a driver’s license.
Walker was placed under arrest, booked into Marion County Jail, and charged.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Samuel Militello and William Harris.