SPRINGFIELD, MO – Blake Christopher Basten, 34, of Merriam Woods, is facing a decade behind bars after being sentenced in federal court for a brazen shooting at a Springfield police officer and illegally possessing firearms. U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes handed down the 10-year sentence without parole on February 27th, closing two separate cases against the repeat offender.
The chaos began on June 29, 2022, when officers executing a search warrant observed a vehicle carrying Basten approach the target residence. A search of Basten revealed a loaded Kel-Tec pistol tucked into his waistband. Basten readily admitted to obtaining the handgun through a drug trade, claiming he carried it for protection after previously being shot at – a flimsy justification for a felon in possession of a deadly weapon.
Just two months later, on August 18, 2022, Basten found himself again in the crosshairs of the law. A routine traffic stop attempt quickly escalated into a dangerous high-speed pursuit when the driver of a black Nissan Sentra, with Basten as a passenger, rammed the officer’s vehicle not once, but twice. The officer, fearing for his life, drew his weapon and ordered the occupants to stop, but the driver floored it, initiating a reckless chase through a residential neighborhood.
The pursuit culminated in a violent crash at an intersection, leaving a Jeep SUV heavily damaged and its innocent driver thankfully unharmed. Basten immediately fled the scene on foot, leaving behind a cache of weaponry. Investigators recovered a Smith & Wesson pistol and a loaded Taurus pistol from the floorboard of the Sentra. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots during the chase, and shell casings were discovered scattered throughout the neighborhood, confirming the officer had been fired upon. Surveillance video corroborated these accounts, capturing the Sentra speeding away, followed by the sound of four gunshots.
Deputies with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office eventually apprehended Basten hiding under a vehicle. The 34-year-old isn’t a stranger to the legal system, boasting eight prior felony convictions and a history of reckless behavior. He was on parole for involuntary manslaughter at the time of his arrest, stemming from a previous high-speed chase where he pursued his ex-girlfriend, resulting in the death of an innocent bystander – a tragic incident that began with a threat involving a firearm. He’d also fled from police in a stolen vehicle after that prior incident.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan successfully prosecuted the case, which was a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, and the Springfield Police Department. The sentencing is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, a program dedicated to reducing violent crime and gun violence through coordinated law enforcement efforts.
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