Raymond Underwood, 32, of Salem, Wisconsin, (right) was sentenced to prison after he crashed a stolen car head-on into another vehicle on Route 173 west of Tiffany Road in Antioch on December 3, 2022. | Provided Photos

A “dangerous fugitive,” who had been traveling up to 100 mph and erratically in a stolen vehicle before causing a head-on crash in Antioch, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Then-Village of Antioch Communication Specialist Jim Moran said a 2017 silver Chevy Malibu was reported stolen on December 3, 2022.

The Antioch Police Department, along with several neighboring police departments, had been tracking the stolen vehicle in Lake and Kenosha counties throughout that morning.

The car was reported to be driving erratically and at speeds of 70-100 miles per hour, despite police never pursuing it.

The Chevrolet passed an Antioch police car while the squad was parked on the side of Route 173 around 11 a.m. that day.

The stolen vehicle was traveling westbound at an excessive rate of speed and already passing vehicles on the right, Moran said.

The Antioch police officer attempted to catch up to the Chevrolet in order to initiate a traffic stop.

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Moran said that — before the police could catch up — the Chevrolet crossed the centerline on Route 173 west of Tiffany Road and struck a 2022 Volvo SUV.

The driver of the Volvo, a 43-year-old Skokie man, was transported to an area hospital and released the same day.

The driver of the stolen Chevy Malibu, identified as Raymond Underwood, now 32, of Salem, Wisconsin, was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Following the crash, investigators discovered Underwood, who they called a “dangerous fugitive,” had two active warrants out for his arrest from McHenry County.

Underwood admitted to first responders that he had used cocaine earlier that morning.

He was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, felony theft, three counts of aggravated fleeing to elude, driving on a revoked driver’s license and driving under the influence of drugs.

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“I am thankful that this fugitive who displayed a disregard for the life and safety of others, is off the streets,” Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow said following the incident.

“His actions could have caused a deadly consequence. He will be prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law allows,” Guttschow said.

Underwood was released from the hospital days later and transported to the Lake County Jail and ordered held on a $500,000 bond.

Court records show Underwood pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a stolen vehicle, a Class 2 felony, in exchange for his other charges, which included multiple criminal cases, being dismissed.

Underwood was sentenced last month to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. He will receive 743 days of credit for time served awaiting trial.

He is set to be paroled from the IDOC in January 2026.

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