High-Speed Shenanigans: Meth Trafficker’s Wild Ride Ends in Marion County Jail
In a sequence of events that could have been ripped from an action movie, Deputy H. Helinski of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office had his work cut out for him this past Sunday, June 9. It all started when a routine traffic stop turned into a high-speed pursuit that snaked through the quiet backroads of Marion County.
The drama began on SE 160th Avenue, just north of SE 100th Lane, when Deputy Helinski spotted a 2013 blue Dodge Journey sporting a suspiciously expired Florida tag (FF76R). A quick check revealed the car belonged to Clara Alexander, who happened to be driving on a suspended license. Deputy Helinski activated his lights and siren, but the Dodge had other plans.
Ignoring the siren’s polite request to pull over, the vehicle, driven by Scott McFalls, took off, leading Deputy Helinski on a merry chase through the county. The Dodge zipped through intersections and streets at breakneck speeds, evading a PIT maneuver and leaving Deputy Helinski hot on its trail.
The high-octane chase took a decisive turn when McFalls decided to jettison his cargo—a fist-sized clear plastic bag—out the window near SE 160th Avenue. This desperate toss didn’t go unnoticed by Helinski, who marked the spot mentally even as the pursuit continued. Another PIT maneuver by Helinski finally brought the Dodge to a halt, rolling off the road near the intersection.
McFalls and his front-seat passenger, Kevin Mattingly, were promptly detained. A search of the escape route yielded the discarded bag, which turned out to contain 35 grams of methamphetamine, a crystal-clear (and illegal) find. The car also held a bag of fentanyl, ensuring the charges against McFalls would be as heavy as the evidence.
Deputy Helinski read McFalls his Miranda rights, to which he responded with surprising candor, confirming both his lack of a valid driver’s license and his ownership of the thrown meth bag, which he claimed was for “personal use.”
McFalls’ Michigan driver’s license was suspended, a fact confirmed by dispatch, though no prior convictions for driving while license suspended were on record. Nonetheless, McFalls found himself in hot water, facing charges of trafficking methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl), fleeing and eluding law enforcement, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving while his license was suspended.
The meth-fueled joyride ended with McFalls booked into Marion County Jail, no doubt contemplating the wisdom of his high-speed decisions.
