FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — According to a press release from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office, a 40-year-old Fond du Lac man is facing multiple felony charges after leading law enforcement on a 12.6-mile vehicle pursuit and fleeing on foot into a cornfield for nearly five and a half hours before his arrest Monday.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office located a vehicle that had recently fled from the City of Fond du Lac Police Department at around 2:26 p.m. on Aug. 17, 2026. A deputy attempted to stop the vehicle on Highway 175 near Highway 151, but the suspect failed to yield and accelerated southbound at a high rate of speed.
The suspect drove eastbound on County Trunk Highway B from Highway 175, then turned northbound on CTH K, eastbound on Reinhardt Road, and briefly northbound on Highway 45 before returning northbound on CTH K. A deputy positioned on CTH K just north of Highway 45 successfully deployed a tire deflation device.
The suspect then turned onto Renzi Road and headed northbound on Highway 151, before immediately using an emergency vehicle turnaround and continuing southbound. The driver eventually bailed from the still-rolling vehicle on foot, running southbound and abandoning the vehicle in the middle of the highway.
The suspect ran toward a subdivision on Valley Creek Road. Deputies and officers with the City of Fond du Lac pursued him on foot until he fled into a cornfield. Deputies discontinued the foot pursuit after immediately losing sight of the suspect inside the cornfield, citing safety concerns.
Law enforcement established a perimeter in the area of CTH V, Reinhardt Road, CTH K, and Valley Creek Road. Drones from the City of Fond du Lac and the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office were deployed but were unsuccessful due to thick foliage. Multiple K9 units and their handlers also attempted to locate the suspect.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., the suspect was spotted by members of the Sheriff's Office attempting to exit the cornfield near Reinhardt Road. He fled back into the cornfield.
Multiple announcements were made over a public address system with no response. A K9 was deployed to the suspect's last known location, and a drone operator was able to locate him and guide the arrest team to his position. After an approximately 300-yard track through the cornfield, the suspect was pushed out near Paradise Lane, where an arrest team was waiting.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident at 7:45 p.m. and turned over to the City of Fond du Lac Police Department.
He was later transported to a local hospital to be medically cleared before being booked into the Fond du Lac County Jail on multiple charges, including Fleeing and Eluding, 2nd Degree Reckless Endangering Safety, and Felony Bail Jumping.
The suspect is on probation for Possession of Cocaine and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. He also had a valid warrant through the Department of Corrections for a probation violation.
He currently has 2 open felony cases in Fond du Lac County. The first includes charges of Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Maintaining a Drug Trafficking Place, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The second includes charges of Felony Bail Jumping and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Two Fond du Lac County patrol vehicles were damaged during the pursuit. A Fond du Lac County Sheriff's deputy and a City of Fond du Lac police officer sustained minor injuries. No private property was damaged.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Fond du Lac Police Department, Fond du Lac Fire Department, and Wisconsin State Patrol.
