BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont has been sentenced for evading arrest and unlawfully carrying firearm.
Charles Ashton Batiste took police on a chase that reached speeds up to 130 miles per hour. Batiste also had seven prior offenses.
He has been sentenced to seven years in prison by Judge Raquel West.
Batiste appeared before Judge West Tuesday morning after pleading guilty to evading arrest and unlawful possession by firearm.
Batiste presented the court with letters from his family saying they would be willing to support him.
Judge West told Batiste she was troubled at his "seven prior felony offenses" and what she called, "a slew of misdemeanor" charges.
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Detectives with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office were observing westbound traffic on Interstate 10 near mile marker 842 on Sept. 8, 2021, when they saw a 2018 white BMW missing its front license plate.
When detectives attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver, Batiste, failed to stop and began to flee. During the chase, Batiste reached speeds of more than 130 mph, according to an arrest affidavit.
Batiste made multiple unsafe lane changes, almost causing major accidents and got off the highway at mile marker 848.
Batiste then began to head toward Interstate 10 eastbound while reaching speeds of more than 100 mph. However, traffic came to a stop, and Batiste was forced to stop with it.
Upon arresting Batiste, detectives noticed a “strong smell of marijuana” coming from the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, detectives found a .22 caliber rifle with a red dot optic and a 9mm handgun with 16 rounds of ammunition, according to the affidavit.
Detectives learned that Batiste was a convicted felon. It is illegal for felons to own a firearm.
Batiste was arrested, charged, and later indicted for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and evading arrest with a motor vehicle.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
