Washington County Sheriff's Office
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. - Authorities arrested a wanted fugitive following a high-speed pursuit on Thursday, Jan. 4.
According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, they were conducting a follow-up investigation with the Wisconsin State Patrol regarding the whereabouts of a 43-year-old Rockford, Illinois man who was a wanted fugitive.
He had two extraditable warrants from Illinois, and he was also identified as the alleged operator of a vehicle involved in a high-speed pursuit with Wisconsin State Patrol and Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Jan. 2.
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At about 10:53 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4, the suspect was spotted by law enforcement officers at a Town of Addison business. The suspect immediately began to flee law enforcement in his vehicle and a pursuit started on County Highway W southbound, north of Crooked Road in the Town of Addison.
During the pursuit, the suspect was able to avoid several attempts by law enforcement officers to deploy tire deflation devices. Ultimately, the suspect hit tire deflation devices deployed by members of the Hartford Police Department on Kettle Moraine Road near Gateway Ave., which partially disabled the suspect’s vehicle.
The suspect continued to flee from officers and intentionally drove westbound against traffic in the eastbound lanes of State Highway 60 and Franklin Drive in the City of Hartford.
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Due to the extreme danger to the public by operating as a wrong-way driver, the suspect’s vehicle was intentionally struck by a Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputy to stop the threat.
The suspect’s vehicle became disabled, and he continued to flee on foot. With the assistance of Hartford Police Department K9 Flash, the suspect was successfully taken into custody.
The suspect is in custody at Washington County Jail and the matter is currently being reviewed by the Washington County District Attorney’s Office with criminal charges expected to be filed shortly.
There were no injuries to civilians as a result of this incident.