Suspect charged in St. Charles police chase

The suspect who led police on a chase in St. Charles Friday morning before striking two vehicles near Randall and Crane roads, causing damage to a squad car and sending local schools on “lockout” has been caught.

Quinelle M. Franklin, 32, of Elgin, has been charged with felony charges of aggravated fleeing and eluding along with speeding, disobeying a traffic control signal, failing to signal when turning, failing to signal when changing lanes and improper lane use.

The fleeing and eluding charges allege Franklin disobeyed two or more traffic control devices and caused more than $300 in property damage. He also was allegedly driving more than 21 mph over the posted speed limit.

In addition, Franklin is charged with driving 35 mph or more over the speed limit. Franklin is currently being held at the Kane County Jail. Bond information has not been posted at this time.

Following a police chase, he fled the area on foot. At approximately 9:55 a.m., the St. Charles Police Department received information on a subject matching Franklin’s description locked in a Shell gas station bathroom at the 300 block of West Main Street in St. Charles.

St. Charles police responded with a K-9 unit and took Franklin into custody. The chase started after a Kane County Sheriff’s lieutenant in an unmarked squad car with police lights and a police siren had attempted to stop Franklin, who was driving a Silver Ford Escape, at about 6:30 a.m. near Randall and Crane roads.

Franklin did not stop, however, and continued south on Randall Road, turning east on Dean Street, according to a release from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.

He continued east on Dean Street, apparently lost control and struck two unoccupied vehicles (a Nissan Rogue and a Chevrolet Aveo) parked on the east side of North 9th Street, according to the release. It was not known if drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.

The Chevy Aveo, after being struck by the suspect’s Ford Escape, ended up in the north lane of traffic. The lieutenant’s patrol car struck this vehicle in the northbound traffic lane, causing extensive damage to the patrol vehicle, the release stated.

No injuries were reported. Franklin fled on foot and police established a perimeter with K-9s and a drone team to try pinpointing the suspect, according to the release.

The six St. Charles School District buildings that were put on lockout included: Richmond Intermediate, Davis Primary, Wild Rose Elementary, Thompson Middle School, Haines Center and the administration building. The buildings were back to normal by 10:45 a.m., according to district spokesman Scott Harvey.

“A lockout means there is a nearby concern, but no imminent danger inside our district buildings,” Harvey said in an email. “However, doors are additionally secured to prevent outside entry. Students are brought inside from any outdoor activities and students arriving to school are allowed to enter the building. No visitors are allowed into the building during this time.”

In an email to parents, St. Charles School Superintendent Paul Gordon said the district decided to put the six buildings on lockout “out of an abundance of caution.” He also explained the district’s procedures in notifying parents of such situations.

“During these situations, we recognize that the amount of information we can share, who it is sent to and the timing of the message can cause some frustration and confusion, and possibly lead to miscommunications,” Gordon said in the email. Our goal is to provide accurate information in as timely a manner as possible.

“We also recognize that some families may not have received communication on this situation. Messages were sent to the families of the schools impacted by text and email to the contact information they have on file with the district. Parents/guardians can view and edit their contact settings through the Home Access Center. If you do not have contact information on file, you will not be able to receive these messages. First, please ensure that emails from the district aren’t going to your junk email folder. To receive timely emergency communications, we strongly encourage families to enable text notifications. For most people, this is the fastest way to receive and view important messages. In most cases, messages will be received instantly, but system processing could result in minor delays. Which is why in the event of an emergency we will try to send messages to multiple devices and ask that you have both an email and phone number registered with the district.”

Kane County Sheriff Deputies were assisted by the Kane County Sheriff detectives, Kane County Drone Team, Kane County K-9 Team and the Saint Charles and Geneva police departments.