Man found guilty of leading Madison County police on high-speed chase in stolen car

A Minnesota man has been found guilty of aggravated offenses relating to motor vehicles by a Madison County jury.

T’Athony Brown, 26, led Pontoon Beach police officers on a high-speed chase driving a stolen vehicle from Fenton, Missouri on April 21. Brown drove up to 100 mph before crashing the vehicle and fleeing the scene.

Brown was arrested later that day. The same vehicle he was driving had been involved in a high-speed pursuit with Collinsville police officers the previous week.

A Class 2 felony is usually punishable by probation or up to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, but Brown could face up to 14 years in prison because he is eligible to receive an extended term due to his prior criminal history, Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine said.

“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for the safety of law enforcement officers and the general public with his actions, and I’m pleased to see the jury returned the guilty verdict,” Haine said.

“We will continue to aggressively prosecute crimes involving stolen vehicles, which must be reduced in Madison County.”

Haine thanked Assistant State’s Attorney’s Katie Wykoff and Cara Tegel for their work in prosecuting the case, and the Pontoon Beach and Metro East Auto Theft Task force for their assistance in the investigation.

This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 2:28 PM.