Police say suspect reached at least 105 mph in chase from Litchfield lake

A 32-year-old man charged with hitting an Illinois Department of Natural Resources officer with his car Monday near Litchfield was saddled with an additional 18 traffic charges in the three Illinois counties he covered during a 60-mile chase from Litchfield to St. Louis County.

Among those charges is speeding 35 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.

Jenkins allegedly struck the DNR officer around 11 a.m. Monday on a boat ramp at Lake Lou Yaeger near Litchfield. Police began chasing him after an Illinois State Police trooper saw Jenkins’ car merge onto southbound Interstate 55.

According to ISP Trooper Calvin Dye Jr., Jenkins faces the following charges in Montgomery, Macoupin and Madison counties:

▪  MONTGOMERY COUNTY: Aggravated battery of a peace officer, aggravated fleeing and eluding, leaving the scene of a personal injury crash, reckless driving, driving with a revoked license, speeding 35 miles per hour over the speed limit and failure to properly signal.

▪  MACOUPIN COUNTY: Aggravated fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, driving with a revoked license, speeding 35 miles per hour over the speed limit and improper driving on the shoulder.

▪  MADISON COUNTY: Aggravated fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, driving with a revoked license, speeding 35 miles per hour over the speed limit, improper driving on the shoulder and leaving the scene of a property damage crash.

The posted speed limit on Interstate 55 and on Interstate 270 is 70 mph. That means Jenkins is accused of driving at least 105 mph as he led the police pursuit that covered almost 60 miles and ended in a grocery store parking lot in Florissant, Mo.

Jenkins faces a St. Louis County charge of being a fugitive from out of state.

Police said Jenkins fled after crashing his car in Florissant, but officers quickly captured him. According to jail staff in Montgomery County, Jenkins has been in custody there since Wednesday following extradition.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Police say suspect reached at least 105 mph in chase from Litchfield lake."