Welfare check turns into pursuit, possible charges

Metro Wire Staff

Stevens Point police say a Tuesday night investigation into a possible kidnapping incident has resulted in a request for charges of fleeing an officer.

According to a news release from the Stevens Point Police Department, officers were on their way to check on a caller on the 1700 block of Fremont St. following a 911 hangup at 9 p.m. on April 14.

In route to the home, police learned a woman may have held against her will by a male suspect.

A witness on the 400 block of Union St. told police she also saw a man, who she believed to be in danger, in a suspicious white sedan that had “just left the area,” according to the news release.

The reported description of the vehicle kicked off a major response by law enforcement from Stevens Point, Plover, the Portage Co. Sheriff’s Office, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and UW-Stevens Point police.

Witnesses reported seeing police and K9 units searching the areas of Clark, Oak, Reserve, Wyatt, Patch, and Dixon streets.

Police found the sedan and attempted a traffic stop, but the motorist fled. Following a brief pursuit, the vehicle was located on the 2100 block of Oak St. Witnesses say law enforcement found a man, who was not identified, hiding in the bushes, who was taken into custody for questioning. That man was later identified as the alleged victim in the sedan.

The claims of abduction have not been substantiated, according to Assistant Police Chief Mike Rottier. The two alleged victims and the suspect were all acquaintances, he said, and the investigation is ongoing.

The SPPD believes it was an isolated incident, and Rottier said the public was not in danger, Rottier said.

SPPD has requested charges against the suspect, but there were no arrests made, he added.

More as we have it.