Eight years in prison and an $8,000 fine. That’s the punishment a 132nd District Court jury handed down to Kevin Mark Basford for evading arrest after leading Department of Public Safety troopers on a high-speed chase in Garza and Scurry counties in April 2019.
On Wednesday, the same jury convicted Basford on the evading arrest charge, but pronounced him not guilty of the trial’s other charge against the 42-year-old itinerant construction worker: unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
According to evidence presented in the trial, Crosbyton’s DPS Trooper Nathaniel Washburn attempted to stop Basford on April 15, 2019 for a minor speeding violation outside of Post, but Basford refused to stop, accelerating to speeds upwards of 130 miles per hour. Washburn eventually ran out of fuel, but remained in contact with other DPS units.
Law enforcement records stated that the suspect’s vehicle exited U.S. Hwy. 84 and proceeded west on FM 612 until it reached Fluvanna, at which time it turned south on FM 1269.
Basford was finally arrested along U.S. Hwy. 180 near mile marker 346 by DPS Trooper Clint Hounshell of Snyder.
Upon investigation, troopers discovered license plates registered to the 2018 Chrysler Basford was driving — and that the plates on the vehicle had been stolen from a car in Reno, Nev. Troopers also discovered a small amount of marijuana in the car driven by Basford.
Basford said he was traveling from Las Vegas to Florida and that he had been followed by another vehicle since he left Amarillo and threatened by someone with a gun just outside Lubbock.
District attorney Ben Smith said he was pleased with the evading arrest conviction and sentence.
Basford had faced up to 10 years in prison.
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