Chronic police chase offender tries getaway on moped, caught by Fulton police

A Fulton man notorious for running from police - and getting caught - was arrested again early Saturday morning after trying to elude officers while riding a moped through residential lawns.

Today's paper
Today's paper

At 12:14 a.m. Saturday, Fulton police officers attempted to stop Travis Michael Schroer, 33, near Bartley Lane and Mohawk Drive. Schroer, who was driving a moped, led officers on a pursuit that ended when he crashed the moped in the backyard about a block away in the 800 block of Kay Drive, according to a press release from the Fulton Police Department.

Fulton Police Chief Steve Myers told the Fulton Sun that Schroer was driving the moped through yards, not the street, and that a moped would not likely escape officers so easily on the street as far as a block given most models cannot travel very fast.

Schroer then continued to flee on foot, according to the release, as he went into a wooded area behind the house. Officers caught and arrested Schroer a short time later.

He was arrested and is facing charges of driving on a suspended driver's license, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, failure to display lighted lamps when required, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Schroer was taken to the Callaway County Jail on a $9,000 bond early Saturday morning.

The incident may have felt like deja vu for Schroer.

Schroer was arrested at 2 a.m. July 16 after attempting to flee officers in a short pursuit that ended when he crashed the red 1997 Buick passenger vehicle he was driving in the 800 block of Court Street - then tried to flee from police on foot but was caught after running a few blocks, according to an article in the Fulton Sun on July 17. Officers had attempted to pull him over for driving erratically. He has an arraignment scheduled Aug. 15 in Callaway County Court for that July 16 incident, facing charges of driving while suspended, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia.

Schroer had bonded out of jail from that incident a month ago.

In May 2013, Schroer's name showed up in the Fulton Sun after leading police on a high-speed chase then escaping police pursuit on foot. The article stated he was arrested on a Friday afternoon at a residence when police were serving a warrant for someone else and Shroer happened to be there. The incident occurred on a Wednesday night during a routine traffic stop. FPD Maj. Roger Rice told the Sun at the time that Schroer had a Callaway County parole absconder warrant so panicked when police tried to pull him over on Bartley Lane. Schroer, who was driving a friend's pickup truck, fled on foot when the truck got to a dead-end road near Missouri Route Z and County Road 108.

No records of charges from that incident could be found on Case.net - Missouri's online court database system.

Schroer was also the subject of a manhunt in April 2011 that included use of a Missouri Highway Patrol helicopter and search dogs after escaping police pursuit on Route NN.

In 2008, Schroer pleaded guilty to a felony burglary charge from a 2007 incident. He was sentenced to five years in prison and later released on parole. He also pleaded guilty driving while intoxicated in 2007 and felony property damage in 2008, sentenced to 15 days in county jail and three years in state prison, respectively.

Myers said there's not much FPD can do to prevent Schroer from driving.

"That's up to the court system," Myers said.

He added it's the police department's job to catch people when they do break the law.