KENOSHA, Wis. – A 26-year-old Illinois man is wanted in Kenosha County on felony charges related to a reckless high-speed pursuit through city streets that police say endangered several lives last fall.
On May 28, Court Commissioner William Michel II signed a $25,000 arrest warrant for Kurtis P. McCarnes, of Round Lake, Ill., after prosecutors filed two felony counts stemming from an Oct. 21, 2024 incident in the city of Kenosha.
McCarnes is charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety, a Class F felony, and fleeing or eluding an officer, a Class H felony. Combined, the charges carry a potential maximum penalty of up to 18 years and six months in prison if convicted.
According to the criminal complaint, Kenosha police officers attempted a traffic stop after observing McCarnes driving a Dodge Charger westbound on 52nd Street without a seatbelt. When officers activated their lights and sirens in the 2600 block, the driver accelerated and began fleeing at speeds reaching 65 mph through residential neighborhoods, blowing through stop signs and even driving into oncoming traffic, investigators allege.
Police terminated the pursuit due to the danger posed, but later tracked down the vehicle’s registered owner in Illinois, who identified McCarnes as the individual behind the wheel. Investigators matched surveillance images and confirmed his identity with both eyewitness accounts and official DMV records.
The complaint details a pursuit that lasted just 44 seconds but covered nearly three-quarters of a mile and included multiple traffic violations and near-misses with other vehicles. Police say McCarnes drove onto curbs, weaved between lanes, and nearly collided with an oncoming car.
The warrant issued by Commissioner Michel authorizes McCarnes’ arrest and sets a $25,000 cash bond once in custody. As of press time, he remains at large.
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2 Responses
Driving like this is attempted murder …… against each and EVERY member of the public …….. and the laws should be changed to reflect this
Attempted murder requires a specific intent to kill, not just to evade Five-0. Recklessness is the appropriate allegation.
“The defendant endangered the safety of another by criminally reckless conduct. Criminally reckless conduct means: the conduct created a risk of death or great bodily harm to another person; and the risk of death or great bodily harm was unreasonable and substantial; and the defendant was aware that his conduct created the unreasonable and substantial risk of death or great bodily harm.”