A claim by a man that a reckless driver was trying to run him down led to a felony charge filed Tuesday in Racine County Circuit Court.
Joseph Jeffery Powell, 50, faces a felony charge of second-degree recklessly endangering safety, which carries a fine of $25,000 and 10 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint:
Officers with the Mount Pleasant Police Department responded May 16 to the area near Kohl’s Department store to assist a Racine officer with a reckless driving complaint.
The victim told police that Powell instigated a chase and tried to run him off the road to retaliate for a traffic complaint the victim had brought against the defendant.
Police viewed a video captured on the victim’s cell phone that showed the defendant’s vehicle traveling 85 mph is 35 mph zones, failing to stop at stop signs, almost hitting a person on a bicycle, recklessly driving through subdivisions and driving over a sidewalk.
Held on a $1,000 bond, Powell will be back in court Aug. 8 for an 8:30 a.m. preliminary hearing.
The area will see 22,000 jobs created over the next few years. So how will Racine County re-tool its skills?
Racine County Eye just received an investigative journalism grant and we’re focusing on barriers to employment for our Eye on Employment page. So we’re looking for people and business owners to tell us what they see are the biggest barriers to employment are in Racine County. Send yours to denise@racinecountyeye.com and put JOBS in the subject line.
Here’s more about the project:

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