A man suspected of being involved in a rash of burglaries was arrested after he led authorities on a high-speed police chase early Tuesday morning.
According to the Racine County Sheriff's Office (RCSO), a sheriff's deputy was monitoring a gas station in the Town of Wind Lake around 3:30 a.m. due to several burglaries. The burglaries occurred between Dec. 21 and Jan. 12 at five separate gas stations and a food mart.
While monitoring the gas station, the deputy noticed a car matching the suspect vehicle investigators have been looking for. The car was circling the parking lot of the Wind Lake County Market.
A traffic stop was initiated and the driver was identified as a 38-year-old man who once lived in Minocqua but was most likely living out of his car, RCSO says. He was also wearing clothing matching the suspect in the burglaries. Deputies confirmed the man was also on extended supervision for burglary.
Deputies asked the man to get out of the car, but he refused and sped off northbound on STH 36. A police pursuit began and speeds reached 100 miles per hour, according to RCSO.
Once the pursuit entered the City of Franklin, the city's police department attempted to use spike strips to disable the car.
The man turned eastbound on Rawson Ave., went up on a curb, and when he reached 76th St., he drove through the intersection and continued eastbound in the westbound lanes. Deputies then ended their pursuit and Franklin police continued to pursue him.
Once the man got into the City of Oak Creek, he eventually drove through the campus of the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). RCSO says he entered MATC's Emergency Vehicle Operator Course, which is often used to train law enforcement officers in pursuit driving.
Stop sticks were successfully deployed, and the man continued to drive his damaged car through Oak Creek and back into Franklin. As smoke began to come from the car, officers used a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle. He was taken into custody after a high-risk stop, RCSO says.
Officers transferred him over to Racine County deputies. RCSO says he apologized for "acting stupid" and said he was going to prison for a long time. After searching his car, authorities found evidence that linked him to numerous Racine County burglaries.
TMJ4 News is not naming the suspect since he has not been formally charged. He is being held on a hold from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and a bail of $77,000 for the following offenses:
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
- Possession of cocaine
- Fleeing and eluding
- Felony bail jumping
- Burglary - 4 counts
- Felony theft - 4 counts
- Criminal damage to property - 4 counts
- Recklessly endangering safety
