FOND DU LAC — Two Illinois residents were arrested on Friday afternoon following a multi-county police pursuit that began in Fond du Lac County, and ended in Winnebago County. The two were in a stolen Illinois vehicle and were involved in two different police pursuits in Illinois this past week.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office received an alert on early Friday afternoon of a stolen Illinois vehicle that was traveling northbound on I-41 from County Road Y.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the vehicle had previously been in two separate pursuits this past week in Illinois.
A Fond du Lac County Sheriff deputy located the vehicle a short time after the alert had gone out on I-41 near Winnebago Street in the Town of Friendship. The deputy followed the vehicle northbound and waited for additional deputies to get in position to attempt a high-risk traffic stop.
The vehicle pulled over and stopped initially, but after deputies exited their squad cars and gave verbal commands, the suspect fled northbound, starting another pursuit.
The pursuit went through Fond du Lac County and into Winnebago County, and was recklessly driving by passing other vehicles, including passing vehicles on the shoulder and weaving in and out of vehicles at high speeds.
The driver then exited the interstate and did not stop at three traffic lights. The vehicle then continued southbound on STH 26, where they continued to pass by other vehicles at high speeds.
The driver then drove off the road and into a private resident's yard before circling in the yard, going through the ditch, and re-entering the highway to go back northbound on STH 26.
The pursuit continued until the driver drove into a field near County Road Z and Clay Road in Winnebago County.
Contact was made as a Sergeant with the Sheriff's Office was moving in to conduct a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT Maneuver) and the driver moved in reverse. The vehicle then attempted to leave the field by traveling through a ditch to get back to Clay Road where another Sheriff's Office squad ended the pursuit by intentionally ramming into the vehicle, pushing it off the road and back into the ditch.
The vehicle then rolled over in the ditch and came to a rest upright. Two occupants then exited the vehicle and were taken into custody.
The vehicle then caught on fire.
The driver, a 23-year-old male from Des Plaines, Illinois, was taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail on charges of Fleeing/Eluding Officer, two counts of 1st Degree Reckless Endangering Safety, Resisting/Obstructing Officer, and Delivering Illegal Articles by Inmate (Ecstasy pills).
The driver was flagged in Illinois's criminal database as armed and dangerous, with previous weapons and drug offenses and criminal property damage.
The passenger, a 23-year-old female from Franklin Park, Illinois, was taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail on charges of Fleeing/Eluding-Party to a Crime, 1st Degree Reckless Endangering Safety-Party to a Crime, Possession of THC, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Resisting and Obstructing an Officer.
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