Charges are pending against a Burlington man for leading a Racine County Sheriff’s deputy on a pursuit in Racine early Monday morning, ending up crashing outside a home.
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office says the deputy was on routine patrol just after 2 a.m. on Lathrop Avenue near 15th Street when they spotted a gray Ford Escape on 15th not stopping for a stop sign at the intersection.
The deputy tried to stop the vehicle, but it accelerated and fled. The vehicle led the deputy down several streets and alleys, and continued to ignore traffic signs. With speeds reaching up to 45 miles-per-hour at times, the deputy decided to stop the pursuit due to the dangerous driving of the suspect.
A short time later the Racine County Communication Center received a call that a vehicle had crashed outside a home in the 1400 block of Flett Avenue, which was three-tenths of a mile and five city blocks away from where the pursuit had ended.
Other law enforcement personnel responded and found the Ford Escape had struck a tree in the front yard and crashed into the front porch, ending up on its side. No one inside the home was injured.
A search of the vehicle found a loaded .380 semi-automatic handgun and a cup containing an alcoholic beverage.
The 31-year-old suspect was found to have two outstanding warrants for non-support. He was arrested for recklessly endangering safety, hit-and-run, fleeing and eluding, and a felon in possession of a firearm.
“Although our deputies recognized the safety concerns and stopped pursuing,” says Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, “(the suspect) chose to continue about his reckless path. The safety and security of this community has always and will always be our number one priority.”
