A juvenile faces six traffic and weapons charges following a high-speed chase by a Henry County Sheriff’s sergeant.
A news release from Chief Deputy Ben Franklin said the juvenile was “detained pending further proceedings. The youth’s name and age were not released.
The news release gave this account of the incident:
Early Friday afternoon the patrol sergeant was conducting traffic enforcement in the area of Route 78 near Hooppole when he observed a black passenger vehicle traveling at high speed.
The sergeant attempted to stop the vehicle for speeding but the vehicle failed to stop and fled southbound, leading deputies on a pursuit.
During the pursuit, occupants of the vehicle were observed discarding items from the window. Deputies later recovered a firearm and a firearm magazine in the area where the items were discarded.
The pursuit was terminated as the vehicle approached the Annawan city limits. Deputies continued their investigation and located the vehicle and two juveniles in the vicinity of the Annawan school campus.
As a precaution, the schools were briefly placed on lockdown during the incident.
One of the juveniles was taken into custody without incident on charges of speeding 73 mph in a 55 zone, speeding 120 mph in a 55 zone, aggravated fleeing and eluding, unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card and unlawful possession of a firearm.
No injuries were reported. The investigation remains ongoing.
“The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Geneseo and Kewanee police departments, the Henry County State’s Attorney’s office, and the Henry County Probation Department for their assistance,” the news release concluded.
