Fond du Lac County chase; man arrested after hours-long cornfield search
Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office
FOND DU LAC COUNTY, Wis. - A 40-year-old man was arrested on Monday, Aug. 17, after leading Fond du Lac County authorities on a roughly 12.6-mile pursuit.
Two Fond du Lac County patrol vehicles sustained damage during the pursuit, and a sheriff's deputy along with a city police officer suffered minor injuries.
Vehicle pursuit
The backstory:
According to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office, around 2:30 p.m. deputies located a vehicle that had recently fled from the City of Fond du Lac Police Department, traveling southbound on HWY 175 near HWY 151.
The suspect fled after a deputy attempted a traffic stop, but another deputy successfully deployed a tire deflation device on County Trunk Highway K just north of Highway 45.
The driver eventually bailed out on foot while the vehicle was still rolling, abandoning it in the middle of Highway 151 and fleeing southbound.
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As the suspect bolted toward a Valley Creek Road subdivision, local deputies and city officers gave chase on foot, ultimately tracking him into a cornfield.
Deputies called off the foot pursuit for safety reasons after losing sight of the suspect in the cornfield.
A perimeter was established in the area of CTH V, Reinhardt Road, CTH K, and Valley Creek Road. Drones from the City of Fond du Lac and the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office were utilized but were unsuccessful due to the thick foliage. Multiple K9s, along with their handlers, attempted to locate the suspect during this time.
Around 6:30 p.m., sheriff's deputies spotted the suspect trying to leave the cornfield near Reinhardt Road, prompting him to flee back inside.
Man arrested
Dig deeper:
Following a 300-yard track through the cornfield, officers pushed the suspect out toward a waiting arrest team near Paradise Lane.
The suspect was taken into custody around 7:45 p.m. and turned over to the City of Fond du Lac Police Department.
The suspect, a 40-year-old Fond du Lac man, was taken into custody and later transported to a local hospital to be medically cleared before being booked into the Fond du Lac County Jail on multiple charges of Fleeing and Eluding, 2nd Degree Reckless Endangering Safety and Felony Bail Jumping.
The suspect is on probation for Possession of Cocaine and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. He also had a valid warrant through the Department of Corrections for a Probation Violation.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office.