Pecatonica man pleads not guilty to fleeing from police

OREGON – A Pecatonica man pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Jan. 22, to aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and 10 other charges, all stemming from a Jan. 6 incident wherein Ogle County sheriff’s deputies say he was traveling 125 mph in a 55-mph speed zone.

Jered T. Vautsmeier, 21, pleaded not guilty to felony aggravated fleeing and the 10 other misdemeanor charges when he appeared in court for his arraignment with his attorney, Glenn Jazwiec, in front of Judge Anthony Peska.

Vautsmeier waived his right to a preliminary hearing, a reading of the charges against him, and entered a demand for a jury trial.

He is accused of “willfully failing” or refusing to obey “a visual or audible signal” on Jan. 6, driving at least 21 mph over the speed limit.

He also is charged with the misdemeanor offenses of resisting a police officer where he is accused of locking himself in his vehicle after being instructed by a police officer to exit the vehicle and obstructing identification after giving an officer a fictitious name, court records say.

Court records also say he furnished a false date of birth to the officer, drove with a suspended driver’s license, drove in excess of 35 mph over the speed limit, and failed to stop at a stop sign at Illinois 64 and Union Road. Other misdemeanor charges include improper lane usage, improper display of a registration plate, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

According to information provided by the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office, deputies stopped Vautsmeier’s vehicle at 6:24 p.m. Jan. 6 in the 11,000 block of West Route 64 outside of Polo when Vautsmeier fled the traffic stop and a pursuit took place.

“The vehicle fled from deputies at a high rate of speed until the pursuit was terminated for safety concerns. The vehicle was located a short time later in Leaf River and again fled from deputies. The pursuit was again terminated a short time after it entered Winnebago County,” according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

The vehicle eventually was found by Pecatonica police in Winnebago County, where Ogle County deputies took custody of Vautsmeier. He was taken to the Ogle County Jail for processing and released.

His next court date is scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 26.