Leonel Saavedra
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man convicted in connection to a police chase that ended with a crash into the porch of a house has been sentenced to prison.
A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Leonel Saavedra to six years in prison and five years of extended supervision. He had pleaded guilty to fleeing police and first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and a drug-related charge was dismissed.
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Chase and crash
The backstory:
According to a criminal complaint, on Jan. 13, Milwaukee police officers saw a vehicle near 13th and Lincoln pass another vehicle in the bike lane. The officers turned on their lights and sirens in an attempt to pull the vehicle over.
The vehicle, a Ford Explorer, sped away and a chase ensued. The Explorer reached speeds of 50 mph in a 25 mph zone and ran four stop signs and four red lights. At one point, the Explorer drove onto the sidewalk and sideswiped a parked vehicle. The Explorer nearly hit two people on the sidewalk. The Explorer then made a U-turn and nearly hit one of those people again.
The complaint goes on to say that the Explorer continued to speed away from police until the driver lost control and crashed into the porch of a home near Layton and Mitchell.
The driver, identified as the defendant, Leonel Saavedra, immediately got out of the vehicle and said he messed up and had no reason to flee from police. He was arrested. The pursuit lasted about 2.7 miles.
Officers found a baggie in the vehicle with white crystal-like substances in it. It tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 3.26 grams, per the complaint.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage of the case.