June 28, 2023 – Fond du Lac, WI -Excellent work by the night shift, who persisted in the hunt of this armed criminal who is suspected of stealing the vehicle from an address in Lomira and committing other crimes throughout the Fox Valley.
Detectives will be meeting with other investigators from multiple Fox Valley area law enforcement agencies today to determine just how many crimes this suspect was involved in, and additional charges are likely. Great work night shift!
On Wednesday, June 28, 2023, the Fond du Lac County Communications Center received information from the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office that a stolen vehicle was traveling southbound on Interstate 41 nearing Fond du Lac County.
A deputy with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office located the vehicle on Interstate 41 near Lone Elm Rd. at 2:30 a.m. The stolen vehicle was being operated without headlamps illuminated.
The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle and a pursuit ensued after the driver of the suspect vehicle increased speeds and disregarded the deputy’s efforts to conduct a traffic stop.
Troopers with the Wisconsin State Patrol and additional Sheriff’s Deputies where positioned with tire deflation devices on Interstate 41 near Cty OO.
The suspect exited Cty OO before those devices could be used, and continued traveling westbound on Cty OO. The suspect traveled through the intersection of Cty OO and Cty I, traveling onto the dead-end of Coyne Rd.
The suspect vehicle entered a residential property to turn around then continued eastbound on Cty OO at high rates of speed. The suspect turned southbound onto Rolling Meadows Dr. and entered the Fond du Lac city limits. At that time, the pursuit was terminated.
Deputies believed the suspect would ultimately attempt to travel his original route on Interstate 41 and where able to locate the suspect vehicle on Interstate 41 near Hickory St. Further attempts to stop the vehicle failed, and a second pursuit ensued. The vehicle then exited onto Hwy 151 and began traveling southbound at a high rate of speed.
The driver exited on Cty D, traveling south to Cty B. Deputies were in position with tire deflation devices on Cty B, and in seeing this the driver turned south onto N. Barton Rd.
The suspect drove to the end of N. Barton Rd. and crashed his vehicle at the dead end. The driver, who was the lone occupant of the vehicle, was taken into custody without further incident.
The driver was identified as a 22-year-old male from the Appleton area. He had two active warrants for his arrest through Winnebago County, a warrant through Probation and Parole, and a warrant through Green Lake County.
The suspect is currently on probation for 1st degree recklessly endangering safety. Further investigation of the pursuit found that the suspect had discarded a firearm from the vehicle on Coyne Rd. while being pursued.
He was booked into the Fond du Lac County Jail for two counts of Felony Eluding, recklessly endangering safety, felon in possession of a firearm, and operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent. The suspect was evaluated by paramedics on scene after the crash and found to be uninjured.
The Wisconsin State Patrol, City of Fond du Lac Police Department, Oakfield Ambulance Service, and the City of Fond du Lac Paramedics assisted the Fond du Lac Sheriff’s Office during the incident. The stolen vehicle was moderately damaged when the suspect left the roadway.
No other property damage or injuries occurred during the pursuit. The total distance of both pursuits spanned a distance of 20.7 miles.
Lieutenant Nick Kahnke
Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office