RACINE COUNTY -- Isaiah Degroot, 17, of Racine pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, Feb. 20 to charges associated with an incident that seriously injured two people in Mount Pleasant in January.
Degroot is charged with 19 felonies after prosecutors say he plowed a stolen SUV into two pedestrians as they walked out of Festival Foods in Mount Pleasant Sunday, Jan. 14. Jeff Coopman and his wife, Cheryl were critically hurt in that crash.
Cheryl Coopman and Jeff Coopman
Prosecutors say Degroot admitted he was behind the wheel of the stolen SUV with a handgun and drugs inside. He shouldn't have been driving in the first place, because investigators say he's never had a valid license.
Crash at Festival Foods in Mount Pleasant
Crash at Festival Foods in Mount Pleasant
Degroot was out on bail at the time of the crash -- arrested in November for violent felonies including firing shots from a vehicle. In that November case, he is charged with two counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety as party to a crime, one count of possession with intent to deliver THC, less than 200 grams, possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under the age of 18, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and carrying a concealed weapon.
Degroot's trial has been scheduled for April 30.