OWENSVILLE — A Dixon woman has been charged on Sept. 26 with escape or attempted escape from confinement, a class E felony, following a traffic stop conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop I for allegedly driving while intoxicated.

Autumn T. Bumgardner of Dixon attempted to jump from a moving highway patrol vehicle after slipping out of the handcuffs she had been secured with, according to a probable cause (PC) statement filed by MSHP Master Sgt. Paul V.J. Volkmer.

Volkmer conducted a traffic stop after observing Bumgardner driving slowly, without displayed license plates while traveling northbound at 12:44 a.m. on Sept. 26 on Highway 63, just south of the Maries County line. She was later arrested during the stop on allegations of driving while intoxicated and placed in the front seat of the patrol car to be taken to Phelps County Jail.

While in route to the jail, Bumgardner was able to remove her right hand from the handcuff, despite Volkmer testifying that he double-checked them for tightness when securing them behind Bumgardner’s back. The officer then re-secured Bumgardner with the handcuffs in front of her so they were visible during transport, according to the PC statement.

Volkmer then continued to transport the suspect to the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department. Shortly after 1 a.m. the officer again observed Bumgardner removing the cuffs from her hands. He asked her to put them back on and observed that the suspect was crying, so he made the decision to continue the transport.

Minutes later, Bumgardner unfastened her seatbelt and began to reach for the passenger door in an apparent attempt to jump from the vehicle which was moving at 35 mph, according to the documents.

Volkmer pulled over and notified Troop I Communications that the suspect was resisting arrest, to which Bumgardner replied, “I ain’t resisting (expletive deleted).” The officer explained in the PC statement that he had to forcibly keep Bumgardner in the vehicle.

According to the PC statement, “She continued to resist by pulling away and I grabbed both of her hands as she was sitting on the ground,” Volkmer wrote.

Bumgardner struck his hands and kicked at both him and the passenger door with her high-heeled shoes. Despite the suspect showing aggression and agitation with the situation, the officer was able to re-secure the handcuffs behind Bumgardner’s back, according to the document.

At about 1:20 a.m., a Rolla police officer arrived on the scene. Bumgardner pretended to be unresponsive, but refused medical services when they arrived at Volkmer’s request. Bumgardner was then transported the rest of the way to the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department in a vehicle with a caged back seat. While in processing at the Phelps County Jail, Bumgardner spit in the face of a staff member while a photograph was being taken. She was placed on a 24-hour hold pending charges, and was then released on a $5,000 bond that was paid by Jonathan Sharp of Rolla, according to the court documents.

While released on Bond, Bumgardner is expected to adhere to the following conditions:

- She will be supervised by Outreach Consulting and Counseling Services, Inc. (OCCS) and must follow all directives of OCCS.

- She must attend all scheduled court hearings.

- She must adhere to any orders or judgments by the court.

- She must inform the court if her address changes.

- She must also obey all laws and refrain from tampering with any witnesses in the case.

Bumgardner is due back at 9 a.m. on Oct. 20 in Judge Kenneth Gordon Clayton’s 25th Phelps County Circuit Court in Rolla.