RACINE — A 17-year-old girl is facing the next several years in prison and the possibility of losing her license for six months after she allegedly led police on a 2.8-mile high-speed chase on I-94.
Neveah Spruce, of Green Bay, was charged on Sept. 20 in Racine County Circuit Court with one felony count of attempting to flee an officer. If convicted, she faces up to 3-1/2 years in prison or $10,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint, Racine County Sheriff’s deputies observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the southbound lanes of I-94 on Sept. 19. They clocked the driver – later identified as Spruce – at 107 mph, and she slowed to 92 mph as she passed the squad car.
High-speed chase ensues
When deputies activated their lights and siren, Spruce accelerated to 113 miles per hour, the complaint continues. During the high-speed chase, she veered from the far left lane to the far right lane at Exit 335 and took the exit before stopping on the ramp. Spruce and her passenger were removed from the car, and her passenger appeared intoxicated.
According to the criminal complaint, Spruce admitted she knew she should have stopped when she first saw deputies’ lights and siren but said she was speeding because her mother was in a car accident in Illinois. The passenger did not corroborate Spruce’s story and their BAC came back at .115. Spruce registered .10 after she failed field sobriety tests.
Spruce was assigned a $5,000 signature bond and ordered to not consume or possess any alcohol and not to drive at all. She will next be in court on Oct. 5 for her preliminary hearing.
She also received five tickets that resulted from the high-speed chase incident: for her first OWI, driving with a blood alcohol level of greater than .08 but less than .15, having open intoxicants in a motor vehicle, operating with a suspended license, and speeding. Spruce will have her initial appearance for all five tickets on Oct. 27.
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