Lake County Gazette

A parolee was arrested and faces felony charges after a stolen vehicle was driven into a squad car and fled from a Lake County Sheriff's deputy at approximately 10 p.m. on July 24. The suspect was taken into custody after crashing the vehicle.

According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, deputies saw a stolen Chevrolet Avalanche at a gas station in the 13900 block of West Yorkhouse Road in unincorporated Waukegan. The vehicle's driver had fled from deputies the night before. Deputies approached the vehicle, which was parked near a gas pump. The Sheriff's Office alleges that the driver, William J. Neely, 26, reversed the Avalanche into a squad car, disabling it. Neely, who has no permanent address, then fled.

Another deputy nearby spotted the Avalanche near Sandy Court and McCarthy Road in Wadsworth. A traffic stop attempt failed, and the suspect was pursued westbound on several roads toward Lindenhurst. A sheriff's deputy set up a vehicle stopping device near Route 45 and Stearns School Road in Lindenhurst. The Avalanche struck the device, which deflated its tires. Neely turned eastbound on Hutchins Road, started to swerve and then crashed into a ditch near Mill Creek Drive.

Neely was taken into custody and then transported to an area hospital for evaluation before being released back into custody. Both the Avalanche and a trailer it was towing were confirmed to be stolen.

The Lake County State's Attorney's Office reviewed the case and approved charging Neely with two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding (class 3 felonies) and reckless driving (class A misdemeanor). The Illinois Department of Corrections was notified of the parole violation. Kristen M. Brennan, 34, of Antioch, who was a passenger in the Avalanche, was arrested for two outstanding McHenry County warrants and a parole violation warrant from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.