The Henry County Sheriff’s Office released details from the police pursuit last night, which was a topic of conversation on Facebook. Around 9:40 PM on April 28th, a Henry County Sheriff’s Office Deputy activated the lights and sirens on his police vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop at 2nd and Main Streets in Kewanee. The vehicle fled from the deputy through city streets and then outside city limits on Cambridge Road. The suspect fled from the deputy at a high rate of speed on rural roads in Henry County, with a complete disregard for traffic laws. The pursuit was terminated when the vehicle traveled into Bureau County. A short time later, the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office located the vehicle broken down and parked near 2300 North and 400 East in Bureau County. The driver of the vehicle was later taken into custody and identified as James E. Crockett, 51, of Kewanee.
James Crockett was placed under arrest and transported to the Henry County Jail on the following charges: reckless driving, speeding 35+ over the limit, Aggravated DUI/3 (Class 2 Felony), driving while license revoked, DUI/License Suspended or Revoked (Class 4 Felony), expired registration, defective exhaust, disobeying traffic control device, disobeying stop sign, improper lane usage, and Aggravated Fleeing Police/21 MPH Over (Class 4 Felony). A Preliminary Hearing is scheduled for May 6, 2024, at 1 PM. Crockett was released on pretrial release but is not allowed to enter any establishment where the primary purpose is to sell alcohol. He also has a curfew from 9 pm to 7 am.
“The Henry County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Illinois State Police, the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office, the Kewanee Police Department, and the Atkinson Police Department for their support and assistance resolving this incident.”
Suspect(s) are innocent until proven guilty.
