A Geneseo man and a Moline man are in custody after a report of a stolen vehicle in rural Orion led to a police pursuit through rural areas of two counties before ending in Galesburg.

Kenneth R. Stropes, 42, Geneseo, and Austin D. Meyer, 28, Moline were arrested on Monday, according to a Henry County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Stropes was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer, reckless driving, failure to signal and speeding. Meyer was also arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle. Both men were taken to the Henry County Jail.

According to a news release, the incident began at approximately 8:45 a.m. Monday morning when a Henry County deputy responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in rural Orion. The vehicle, a maroon Dodge Challenger, had been reported stolen on Sunday to the Moline Police Department.

The deputy attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle, at which time, the driver attempted to flee and elude the deputy’s attempts. The driver of the vehicle then reportedly led the deputy on a chase through rural areas of Henry and Knox counties before the deployment of stop sticks brought the pursuit to an end in the 1800 block of North Henderson Street in Galesburg.

The driver, Stropes, and the passenger, Meyer, were both taken into custody without further incident.

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Galesburg Police Department for their efforts and assistance with the incident.