PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A North Fond du Lac man was arrested after leading authorities on a chase in a stolen rental vehicle.
On Thursday, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a stolen vehicle from a local rental business. The rental company provided the name of the suspect and a potential address where the vehicle might be located. The individual was known to law enforcement due to a previous high-speed pursuit and threats against law enforcement, and had been flagged as an “Officer Safety Risk.”
Multiple deputies from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, along with officers from the North Fond du Lac Police Department, responded to the address in an effort to recover the stolen vehicle and apprehend the suspect but the vehicle was not there.
Shortly after, the rental company was able to ping the vehicle’s location since it had officially been reported stolen. The vehicle was initially reported traveling northbound on County Highway V near Highway 151. A police officer from the city of Fond du Lac located the vehicle and began to follow it southbound on County Highway V, awaiting backup to intervene if the suspect attempted to flee and due to the suspect prior history with threats/battery to law enforcement.
Once deputies and officers were in position, a traffic stop was initiated. The suspect slowed down and did pull over.
After a short amount of time, the vehicle then began traveling southbound on County Highway V at a slow speed while law enforcement activated emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to get the suspect to stop. As the vehicle failed to yield, additional deputies responded to the area.
During this time, the suspect called the Fond du Lac County dispatch and said he was refusing to stop and questioning the legitimacy of the traffic stop.
In an attempt to elude law enforcement, the suspect drove the vehicle into a hayfield. Ultimately, law enforcement utilized a “box-in” technique to prevent the suspect from continuing to drive. The suspect was taken into custody without incident at this time.
The driver was evaluated by EMS personnel and was later transported via squad car to a local hospital for medical clearance.
The pursuit covered approximately one mile. Several squad cars sustained damage during the box-in maneuver, and the stolen vehicle also sustained damages. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of this incident.
The driver, a 32-year-old man from North Fond du Lac, is currently being held at the Fond du Lac County Jail on charges of felony fleeing and eluding, operating without owner’s consent and two counts of felony bail jumping. He was out on bond for two felony cases in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court, which included charges of fleeing/eluding, threats to law enforcement, disorderly conduct (domestic enhancer), possession of THC, resisting/obstructing, and bail jumping at the time of the incident.
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