A suspect has been charged after authorities say he stole a car and led police on a pursuit in Wisconsin and then a second pursuit in Illinois before abandoning the car on I-90 in McHenry County.
The Columbia County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office received an automated 911 call around 4 a.m. last Thursday reporting an automated crash detection for a cell phone.
The phone was tracking on Interstate 90/94/39 near the 108 mile marker, according to Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Captain David Clark.
A deputy was sent to the area but did not locate a crash.
The dispatch center received a call from the Days Inn hotel on Kinney Road in Caledonia, Wisconsin, a short time later.
A woman reported that her vehicle had just been stolen by an acquaintance and the suspect had also taken her phone and money, Clark said.
The victim’s phone had been thrown out of the vehicle as the suspect fled and it was the phone that had made the automated crash report.
Deputies learned that the suspect was from the DeKalb, Illinois area and broadcast an attempt to locate request for the stolen vehicle to other police agencies.
A trooper from the Wisconsin State Patrol located the stolen vehicle in the Janesville area around 5 a.m.
Clark said the Janesville Police Department assisted and a traffic stop was conducted but the suspect was non-compliant.
A short standoff ensued before the suspect fled in the vehicle and a pursuit began.
The Wisconsin State Patrol terminated the pursuit on Interstate 90/39 prior to the vehicle entering Illinois.
The South Beloit Police Department located the suspect vehicle a short time later and again attempted to stop it.
The vehicle continued to flee southbound on Interstate 90/39 towards Rockford, Clark said.
The South Beloit Police Department pursued the vehicle for approximately 20 miles before the pursuit was terminated east of Rockford.
The Illinois State Police contacted the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office around 7:30 a.m. and advised that they had located the stolen vehicle abandoned on Interstate 90 near Harmony Road outside of Marengo in McHenry County.
The suspect had fled the vehicle. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois State Police conducted a lengthy canine search in the area but were unable to locate the suspect.
Clark said the victim did not know the full identity of the suspect but Columbia County detectives were able to later identify him and requested assistance from the DeKalb Police Department in locating him.
The suspect was identified as Michael Hoffman, 36, of DeKalb.
The Columbia County District Attorney’s Office requested a warrant for Hoffman’s arrest on Monday on charges of taking and driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent and theft of moveable property.
Hoffman was taken into custody by the DeKalb Police Department on Monday.
He is currently being held in the Winnebago County Jail in Rockford and facing additional charges related to the pursuit in Illinois.
Columbia County will be seeking extradition to Wisconsin for Hoffman to appear on the charges in Columbia County, Clark said.
“This investigation is another great example of teamwork and communication between numerous law enforcement agencies to identify, locate and take a suspect into custody,” the sheriff’s office said.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office credited the Wisconsin State Patrol, Janesville Police Department, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, South Beloit Police Department, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and DeKalb Police Department with assisting.