15-year-old suspect in custody following alleged car theft, chase, cabin break-in

Law enforcement agencies from three different Northwoods counties were involved in attempts over the weekend to apprehend a 15-year-old male believed to have been involved in a car theft as well as the theft of other personal property.

According to press release from Capt.Tyler Young of the Oneida County sheriff’s office, on Saturday the department was advised by the Langlade County sheriff’s office in Antigo that the operator of a vehicle stolen from the Menominee Indian Reservation had fled a traffic stop just north of Antigo. 

The Oneida County sheriff’s office was advised the driver of the stolen black 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix may be armed and was last seen headed north on U.S. Highway 45 towards State Highway 8.

Oneida County deputies later observed the vehicle traveling westbound on U.S. Hwy. 8 and attempted to stop it, the release states. 

The driver accelerated and deputies started a pursuit. 

The driver committed several traffic offenses, including reaching speeds of over 110 miles per hour, while continuing to travel west on Hwy 8, according to the release.

The driver then turned north on State Highway 17 in a construction zone and while in the construction zone, the vehicle reached speeds around 90 miles per hour and struck several construction barriers.

He continued north on Hwy. 17 toward Eagle River, reaching speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour. 

By this time, the Eagle River Police Department had been notified and officers attempted to deploy a tire deflation device but the driver was able to avoid it.

He then turned west onto State Highway 70 continuing at high rates of speed but as the vehicle neared the intersection of Hwy. 70 and Sunny Lane, it began to slow down.

 Young said it was at that point that an Oneida County deputy was able to successfully perform a pursuit intervention technique (PIT), which resulted in the driver of the stolen car exiting the vehicle and fleeing on foot into a wooded area.

The boy was taken into custody Sunday morning in Vilas County after he allegedly broke into a Vilas County cabin.

Patrick Schmidt, the chief deputy for the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, prefaced the press release he issued Monday about his department’s involvement with a reminder.

 “In an effort to give as much information as we can regarding the most recent incident that we have dealt with, we must also understand that not all information will ever be released because the incident involved a 15 year old boy,” he said in the release. 

Schmidt said the Vilas County dispatch center was advised of a northbound vehicle pursuit on Hwy. 17 in Oneida County at 2:17 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30. 

He said the Oneida County deputy, as Young explained in his press release, had executed a PIT that stopped the Grand Prix.

“After the vehicle stopped, a foot pursuit started,” Schmidt said. “Ultimately, the individual fled into a large wooded area and was unable to be located. Members from numerous agencies were involved with the search.” 

Schmidt said he and his deputies had been told the boy was armed but Vilas County deputies “did not see him with a weapon when they were chasing him” and there was no weapon found in the car.

At the point special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams from Vilas and Oneida County were called in because of “the severity of the situation and the vast land that needed to be searched.” 

Both teams regularly train together on rural high risk searches so the teams were the point contact on the search,” Schmidt said. 

After six hours of searching the woods, “utilizing SWAT operators and numerous law enforcement officers from many agencies,”  he said the search was put on hold for debriefings and to replace tired personnel. 

Schmidt said the incident command center was broken down at 7:30 p.m. Saturday but a plan was put together to keep deputies on a perimeter. 

In the meantime, some deputies were patrolling roads near the incident while others conducted foot patrols.

A little more than two hours after the command center was broken down. Schmidt said a Vilas County deputy on “the perimeter of the search zone” attempted to stop a UTV on Hwy. 70.  

“A pursuit ensued with the UTV,” he said. “The UTV ended up crashing into the shoreline of a lake. During the pursuit the UTV crashed into two marked Vilas County squad cars causing minimal damage to the squads.” 

Schmidt said when the deputies gave chase, they observed a bag full of firearms and a bag full of ammunition laying next to the UTV with an empty handgun holster.

“Responding units involved with the pursuit established a perimeter,” Schmidt said in his narrative. “This was at 9:45 p.m. and there was no moonlight. While actively searching the woods for the subject, the subject fired one round. As a result of the subject’s actions and the situation at hand, SWAT teams were once again requested to assist.”

Schmidt said along with SWAT personnel a drone team from the Oneida County sheriff’s office responded to the scene once again.

“The search area was much smaller than the previous search area but it was still a vast forest area,” he said. “At approximately 10:45 p.m. the drone was able to locate the individual. The individual began firing multiple rounds at the drone. The drone was able to see that the individual did possess a long gun and multiple handguns.”

What Schmidt described as “adverse weather” had moved in as the search and location of the suspect continued and as that occurred, authorities lost contact and a “clear perimeter was set” on three sides protecting officers, “homeowners and citizens of Vilas County.” 

“The only option was for the subject to flee deeper into the thick forest,” Schmidt explained. 

Seven hours later, after more searching of thick forest area for the armed suspect, the decision was made to pull back and “give searching officers rest, replace them with  officers from different jurisdictions and hold a three-sided perimeter.

At 7 a.m. Sunday morning, a burglary was discovered by a Vilas County deputy canvassing the search area, Schmidt continued.

“It was discovered the UTV that was in the pursuit came from this address,” Schmidt said. “It was also discovered that numerous firearms and ammunition were stolen from the residence as well.”

The cabin’s owners were contacted by authorities and it was established that the suspect had stolen two 9 millimeter pistols and a .233 cal AR15, the release states. 

“The rest of the weapons that he had stolen from the house were recovered at the UTV crash scene,” Schmidt said. 

At 3 p.m. Sunday, Schmidt said, a cabin owner who learned about the incident via Facebook updates the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office had shared decided to check on their cabin and on arrival  “they discovered that someone had forced entry to it.”

“They immediately backed out and reported the same to the Vilas County Sheriff's Office,” Schmidt said. “Deputies immediately responded to the cabin and located the individual inside.”

Located on the teenager’s person was a 9mm handgun, loaded. Another 9 mm handgun was located on a coffee table next to his head and a .223 cal rifle was located directly under where he was sleeping, Schmidt reported.

“The individual did not resist arrest,” Schmidt said. “The 15-year-old boy was taken to the hospital for medical clearance and custody was transferred to Vilas County juvenile intake. Forest County eventually took custody of the juvenile, he added.

“Forest County was where one of the original warrants that this guy was wanted for was from,” Schmidt told The Lakeland Times Monday, adding that Forest County has indicated it will prosecute him as an adult. “Marathon County has some stuff with him that they’ve waived as well but he’s in Forest County’s custody.”

“The successful outcome of this situation would not have been possible without the tireless effort put forth by law enforcement from around the area, the citizens of Vilas County or those that simply shared the information to those that don’t have social media,” Schmidt said in his press release. 

Both he and Young thanked numerous agencies including the Lincoln County sheriff’s office, the Wisconsin State Patrol, Eagle River Police Department, Lac Du Flambeau Tribal Police, Woodruff and Minocqua Police Departments, the Wisconsin Department of Resources “and countless other citizens that helped bring this dangerous situation to a peaceful end.”

“All too often we hear of situations similar to this that have ended in tragedy,” Schmidt said. “It is truly remarkable how law enforcement and the citizens of Vilas County came together to help bring this situation to an end.”

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].