A judge denied pre-trial release to a convicted felon, who was just released from prison, after a police pursuit from Kenosha County that ended with him crashing into another vehicle near Antioch.
Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Colin Coultrip said a Kenosha County sheriff’s deputy located a Chevrolet Cavalier around 8:45 a.m. Monday.
The Chevrolet’s registered owner, 31-year-old Mason Spencer, did not have a valid driver’s license and was wanted out of Lake County for numerous criminal charges and has an “extremely violent criminal history,” Coultrip said.
A traffic stop was initiated with the vehicle on Highway 45 at County Highway C.
The suspect vehicle immediately took off at a high rate of speed southbound on Highway 45 once the deputy activated their emergency lights and sirens.
“Due to the extreme risk to the public if this suspect were to get away, KESO Deputies continued the pursuit into Illinois with the assistance of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office,” Coultrip said.
The Chevrolet crashed into a Dodge Ram pickup truck, leaving both vehicles damaged and disabled.
Officers detained three people inside the Chevrolet, Coultrip said. One of those included Spencer, who was a passenger in the car, and had numerous active warrants.
The Chevrolet driver was identified as Raymond Underwood, 32, of Antioch. He was also arrested and charged with felony fleeing and multiple counts of recklessly endangering safety.
The third person arrested was another passenger in the vehicle but they were later released without charges, Coultrip said.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Underwood, who was driving at a high rate of speed, caused the crash by disregarding a red light and driving into the intersection, striking the Dodge as it traveled westbound on Route 173.
Underwood, Spencer, the third passenger in the Chevrolet and the driver of the Dodge pickup truck were all transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Coultrip said the driver of the Dodge pickup truck was later transported to the jail on outstanding warrants.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash and has taken custody of Spencer and Underwood.
Both men have since been released from the hospital and were transported to the Lake County Jail.
Underwood was charged in Lake County with three counts of aggravated fleeing to elude, speeding over 35 mph over the limit, reckless driving, driving on a revoked license, disregarding a traffic control device, failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
Spencer was not charged in Lake County with any new charges following the pursuit.
“The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office is committed to protecting our community members and holding criminals accountable for their actions. Thank you to all those at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office who assisted us this morning. This incident was an excellent example of a multi-jurisdictional operation to keep our community members safe,” Coultrip said.
Spencer was released from custody following a First Appearance Court hearing on Tuesday morning.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Underwood pending trial, calling him a real and present danger to the community.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Vukovich said that Underwood’s actions of driving in excess of 100 mph while fleeing police resulted in multiple injuries. “Anyone on the road could be one of the defendant’s next victims,” she said.
Underwood jumped out of the driver’s seat and got into the rear seat of the vehicle to try to evade officers once the pursuit ended, Vukovich said.
In December, Underwood was sentenced to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for a series of crimes, including crashing a stolen vehicle head-on into another car on Route 173 and Tiffany Road in Antioch as police were trying to catch up to him to stop him in December 2022.
State records show he was transported to Stateville Correctional Center on January 10 and released on parole six days later on January 16.
Vukovich said Underwood also has prior cases for felon failing to return from furlough, aggravated battery to a peace officer, violation of an order of protection, harassment by telephone and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
A public defender for Underwood said his client’s issues stem from substance abuse.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the petition during a detention hearing on Wednesday afternoon.
The judge said Underwood has a history of violent behavior and failure to comply with court orders.
Underwood remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on March 31 for a preliminary hearing.