A wrong-way driver led law enforcement on a pursuit of about 34 miles Thursday night before abandoning the vehicle and escaping on foot, according to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said dispatchers received several calls around 10:25 p.m. Thursday about a vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes of U.S. 151 near County Highway TC in the town of Lamartine. A Wisconsin State Patrol trooper found the vehicle still traveling in the wrong lane on U.S. 151 near Interstate 41.
When the trooper tried to stop it, the vehicle turned south onto Interstate 41 and fled at speeds reaching 110 mph, according to the release. The pursuit continued onto state highways 67, 175 and 28 and onto local roads, with Fond du Lac County deputies joining in.
State Patrol later ended its part of the pursuit. A sheriff's sergeant spotted the vehicle again on County D, where it fled with its lights off at times before turning onto Woodford Drive, losing control because of damage from the driving, and coming to rest in a ditch.
The driver ran from the vehicle. Three other people inside were detained for questioning and were later released after deputies determined they were not involved, the sheriff's office said. A K-9 track using a drone, Washington County deputies and West Bend police searched a large area but did not find the driver.
Investigators identified the driver as a 38-year-old Milwaukee man with numerous felony warrants, the sheriff's office said. No deputies were injured and no government or private property was damaged. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the State Patrol and the Dodge County, Washington County and West Bend agencies.
