A Lake County man charged with driving on a suspended or revoked license 13 times and with a long history of driving recklessly has been arrested and ordered detained in Lake County jail for driving 120 mph in a 40 MPH zone near Gurnee, authorities said.
Desean Cowan, 43, was ordered held until trial by Lake County Associate Judge Theodore Potkonjak during a June 11 detention hearing following a laundry list of driving while his license is revoked, speeding, and other assorted criminal activity over the last 20 years.
The 13 cases of driving while his license is revoked include the two class 4 felony charges of fleeing and eluding police officers and driving on a revoked license he picked up in June, as well as three driving while his license is suspended or revoked and driving 21 to 25 mph over posted speed limit he received since January of 2024.
“If you look at the history and characteristics of the defendant, and the state just touched on them, he’s been charged with driving on revoked or suspended license 13 times,” Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak said while counting the number of offenses Cowen has received. “Driving the way he did was, in fact, placing citizens in jeopardy of great bodily harm and permanent disfigurement.”
In his latest case, Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said deputies were on routine patrol at 2:30 a.m. on February 10 near Washington and Hunt Club roads when a Chevy Traverse SUV sped past traveling at 76 mph in a 40 mph zone.
The deputy made a turn and activated his emergency lights on Washington when the vehicle – with Cowen behind the wheel – turned right and headed northbound on Hunt Club, McConnell said.
From there, Cowen pulled a U-turn on Hunt Club, then took off south on Hunt Club at a high rate of speed before driving through a traffic control device at Hunt Club and Washington.
This happened when another officer arrived on the scene, McConnell said, and the second officer clocked the defendant going 120 mph through the intersection of Hunt Club and Washington.
“It was honestly a miracle that no one was injured,” McConnell said. “He was driving three times the speed limit while blowing through red lights. Had another car been there it would be almost a certainty that great bodily harm would have occurred.”
McConnell said the officers canceled the pursuit due to safety reasons. Still, the officer involved in the original chase spotted the vehicle again a little while later pulling into a driveway with his lights off in the 400 block of Washington Street.
The officer activated his emergency lights and blocked the Chevy Traverse in the driveway, prompting Cowen to leave the vehicle, ignore the commands to stop, and lock himself inside a house, McConnell said.
Rather than start a confrontation, officers towed the vehicle from the home, McConnell said. This prompted Cowen to call the police and ask them to return the Traverse.
Police issued an arrest warrant in April, and Cowan turned himself into authorities on Saturday, June 9, court records show.
Cowan appeared in First Appearance Court over the weekend but was ordered held over for a detention hearing when the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed the necessary motions to detain him under the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act.
“When the court looks at the cases, the court finds there are no conditions or combination of conditions that he would adhere to based on the numerous failures to appear, the re-arrests while on bond, and the numerous sentences in other matters,” Potkonjak said when deciding Cowan should be detained until trial.
Cowan is due back in court in July.