ShaneCaviness 202305182315 301354 410977802

On 5/18/2023 I, Trooper Shane Caviness, was patrolling southbound on Interstate 530 near the 24-mile marker. While patrolling, I observed a black passenger car approaching me in the left lane. As the vehicle caught up to me the operator, later identified as Christopher Monroe, began slowing to approximately 65 MPH in a 75 MPH zone, traveling slightly behind me, in an apparent attempt to avoid passing me. After traveling a short distance, the operator began to accelerate and overtake my position. As the suspect vehicle passed, I observed that it was displaying Texas license Plate RKP3621. I conducted a status check of the license plate through the ATLAS terminal located in my patrol vehicle and received a return to a Maserati passenger car with a tag expiration date of January 2023. I continued to observe the suspect vehicle for a short time as it slowly gained a little distance, overtaking other vehicles, then merging into the right lane and slowing again. Seeing this behavior and the fact that the license plate displayed on the vehicle was expired, I decided to catch up to the suspect vehicle and conduct a traffic stop. As I caught up, I confirmed the license plate number and initiated my emergency lights as I merged behind the vehicle to conduct a traffic stop. The operator initially failed to slow down or show signs of acknowledgement to my emergency equipment as he continued traveling southbound. I activated my siren to gain the operators attention, and he immediately began to slow and merge onto the right shoulder, where he came to a stop.
I approached the operator from the passenger side of the suspect vehicle, introducing myself and informing him of the reason for the traffic stop. As I did this, I could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from the passenger compartment, and I could see a partially unzipped backpack sitting on the passenger seat. Inside of the backpack, I could see a large bottle of alcohol, which I believed to be whiskey, that appeared to be open due to the contents not being filled to the top. Also, inside of the backpack, I could see what I believed to be a vacuum sealed bag along with other content. I attempted to identify the driver by asking for his identification. As we spoke, I could see that he appeared extremely nervous. His hands were noticeably trembling, and he would continuously touch his face and legs. He then reached for the backpack, and briefly rummaged through the contents moving his hands around the tops of the contents of the bag. After superficially looking through the backpack, he stated that he was unable to locate any form of identification. Due to this, I asked the driver to exit the vehicle so that I could have him write down his name and birthdate on a piece of paper. He complied and exited his vehicle. As he stepped out of the driver’s seat, I asked if he had any weapons on his person. He informed me that he did not and emptied his pockets, revealing his keys in his right pocket and a large stack of money, with a $100 bill showing on the top, folded in his left pocket. I then directed him to walk towards my front bumper and sit on it.
I retrieved a piece of paper and a pen from my patrol unit and informed him to write down his name and his birthday on the paper. He complied with writing down his correct name but wrote down the wrong birthdate (9/21/81), preventing me from successfully identifying him. I confirmed that the information he provided was false by asking Troop E dispatch to run the name and birthdate. Troop E dispatch informed me that they were unable to get a return as well, confirming my belief that the information the operator had provided was false. I then retrieved my mobile fingerprint scanner and fingerprinted the operator. I again informed the operator to sit on the front bumper of my patrol vehicle, as I awaited the fingerprints to reveal his identity. As I waited, I noticed that the operator seemed more nervous, constantly watching me, and glancing back at his vehicle. Just as I received the return on the operator’s fingerprints, I heard him say something then run back to his vehicle. The operator then entered his vehicle and began to flee southbound on Interstate 530. To read the rest of the report click here