Ozaukee County police chase; Hartland man accused, reached 120 mph
BELGIUM, Wis. - A 19-year-old Hartland man is accused of violating a restraining order and then leading Ozaukee County law enforcement on a miles-long chase that reached speeds of 120 miles per hour (mph). The accused is Benjamin Rodriguez – and he faces the following criminal counts:
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety
- Attempting to flee or elude an officer (two counts)
- Knowingly violating a harassment restraining order
According to the criminal complaint, Ozaukee County sheriff's deputies responded to a residence in the Town of Belgium around 2 a.m. on Friday, April 14 for a report that the defendant, Rodriguez, was violating a restraining order. While responding to the home, deputies learned "the defendant left the residence in a white Camaro." Moments later, a deputy spotted the vehicle. The complaint says "as (Rodriguez) was attempting to turn around, (the deputy) heard the vehicle accelerating away from him at a high rate of speed and lost visual of the vehicle."
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
A short time later, another deputy spotted the Camaro in the Town of Port Washington and activated his lights and siren -- and attempted to catch up to the vehicle to conduct a traffic stop. The deputy "indicated that he reached a speed approaching 95 mph in his squad and that the defendant continued to pull away from him at a high rate of speed," the complaint says. The deputy pulled over when he was approached by a person "who ran to his squad frantically" stating "that guy almost killed me," in reference to the defendant in the Camaro.
A few minutes later, a Grafton police officer spotted the Camaro at the intersection of Highway 32 and Highway W. At one point, he was nose to nose with the defendant, and attempted a traffic stop. But the complaint says Rodriguez "immediately sped away from him at a high rate of speed and proceeded northbound on Highway 32 toward I-43." The officer continued to pursue -- and noticed the defendant was "traveling well over 100 mph." The complaint says the officer noted "there was very little traffic and that the white Camaro's speed to be around 120 mph."
Benjamin Rodriguez
During the pursuit, the defendant continued southbound on I-43. The officer terminated his pursuit because he was aware construction workers were in the area.
A deputy continued looking for the Camaro -- and spotted it traveling east on Brown Deer Road. The vehicle was driving "with no headlights and taillights activated." The complaint says when Rodriguez saw the deputy's squad, he "drove around multiple 'Road Closed' signs, construction barrels and barricades to access the southbound on-ramp to I-43." The defendant was driving through the construction zone with no lights on his vehicle.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
At 2:48 p.m., the deputy made phone contact with Rodriguez. The complaint says the defendant stated "me and my girlfriend were hanging out, and we got caught." He also stated he left his girlfriend's residence because "her parents got a restraining order on me," the complaint says. The defendant and the deputy then made arrangements for the defendant to turn himself in -- which he subsequently did.
During an interview, Rodriguez was asked why he fled police and "the defendant stated that he knew he 'was gonna get arrested,'" the complaint says.
Rodriguez made his initial appearance in Ozaukee County court on Friday, April 14. Cash bond was set at $7,000.