There is no cover of night able to conceal the flight of a wanted man in Fond du Lac County, so one such fugitive discovered on Tuesday night.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened around 9:45 p.m. when a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper located a vehicle on I-41 that was being used to flee the scene of a court order violation in Winnebago County.
After a failed stop attempt by the trooper near West Scott Street, Sheriff’s deputies were placed in advance, deploying spike strips and preparing to assist in the pursuit. But the suspect, upon seeing the impending road block, stopped his vehicle and fled on foot, crossing the interstate and heading into a grassy field, hoping to escape detection.
A perimeter of Sheriff’s deputies, Fond du Lac Police officers and Wisconsin State Patrol troopers was then established along with two K9s on the ground, while a drone with a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera searched from above.
The drone, operating in darkness, had no problem spotting the suspect hiding in the field, and with K9s closing in, the subject chose to peacefully surrender.
The Sheriff’s Office announcement credited the multiple agencies working together with the success.
A drone captured this image of a fleeing subject in darkness on Tuesday night. Photo courtesy of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office
