A Missouri, man who injured two United States deputy marshals by crashing into them while attempting to flee in a stolen truck pleaded guilty in federal court to forcibly resisting federal law enforcement officers.
Ray E. Clevenger, 46, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to two counts of forcibly resisting a federal law enforcement officer.
Law enforcement officers located Clevenger, who was being sought on a state felony arrest warrant, at a Quality Inn in Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 30, 2020. Clevenger left his hotel room shortly after noon with a woman and got into a Ford Explorer, which was later identified as stolen. Officers activated their flashing multi-colored police emergency lights and sirens as they approached Clevenger.
Clevenger quickly accelerated the Explorer from the parking space it had been backed into and struck the front of a police vehicle. Clevenger continued to attempt to escape while recklessly driving the Explorer at a high rate of speed. Clevenger drove across the hotel’s parking lot with his tires squealing and drove near the exit on the west side of the property. A federal deputy marshal attempted to prevent Clevenger from leaving the parking lot by positioning his police vehicle in front of the exit and striking the Ford Explorer, causing Clevenger to lose control of his vehicle. Clevenger regained control of the vehicle, then fled across the hotel’s lawn and sidewalk toward the east side of the property. Another deputy marshal struck Clevenger’s vehicle on the passenger rear wheel well in an attempt to prevent his escape. Clevenger continued to flee and returned to the west side of the property, where he rammed one of the police vehicles for the second time with enough force to push the SUV into a fence that surrounded the parking lot. Clevenger pushed the police vehicle with enough force that it also struck another police vehicle, which in turn struck a deputy marshal who was on foot.
Clevenger’s vehicle then stopped and he was arrested. Officers searched Clevenger’s stolen vehicle and found a Springfield .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun that had been reported stolen, loaded with an extended magazine, a makeup case that contained approximately 69 grams of methamphetamine and marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
The two deputy marshals suffered physical injuries as a result of Clevenger’s reckless driving while attempting to avoid arrest. Those injuries required one of the deputy marshals to be treated by emergency medical officials at the scene. The other deputy marshal was provided medical care and instructed to seek follow-up medical care.
Under federal statutes, Clevenger is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole on each of the two counts. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes. It was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI.
