Carjacker Takes 9-Year-Old Boy on 2-State Chase: Police

A 58-year-old Wisconsin man accused of stealing an SUV with a 9-year-old boy inside is in custody after leading Lake County deputies on a chase early Thursday.

Michael E. Newhouse, of the 2900 block of 73rd Street in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was eventually taken into custody in Des Plaines early Thursday and the boy was found safe inside the vehicle and was later reunited with his family.

The incident began shortly after 2:10 a.m. Thursday when the Lake County Sheriff’s Office was advised by police in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, that Newhouse allegedly stole a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe at a gas station and then fled the area.

Deputies immediately began checking I-94 for the vehicle and around 2:22 a.m. found the Santa Fe in the area of I-94 and Route 22 in Lincolnshire. Deputies attempted to pull Newhouse over, but he again fled, heading eastbound on I-94.

Lake County Sheriff’s deputies pursued the vehicle, and Newhouse eventually stopped at I-294 north of Touhy Avenue in Des Plaines. Des Plaines is 40 miles south of where the vehicle was originally stolen in Pleasant Prairie.

The 9-year-old boy was found to be safe and uninjured in the vehicle.

Newhouse was taken into custody and is being held on $250,000 bail on two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding, class four felonies; aggravated reckless driving, a class four felony; endangering the life of a child, a class A misdemeanor; and numerous traffic offenses.

Additional charges are possible for Newhouse, which could include charges from police in Wisconsin.

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