Driver Faces Prison Time After Eluding Police at 108 MPH in a Dodge Caravan

RACINE -- The driver of a stolen van faces prison time after driving it more than 100 mph through Racine County and getting into a crash, severely injuring his passenger.

Traevon Leavell, 20, Fond du Lac, faces up to four-and-a-half years behind bars if he is convicted. He has been charged with operating a motor vehicle without consent, attempting to flee an officer and reckless driving causing bodily harm.

According to his criminal complaint, police responded to St. A's - an advanced foster care company in Milwaukee - on a report of a stolen green Dodge Caravan on December 31.

Police say Kenosha Sheriff's deputy located Leavell inside the stolen vehicle in Kenosha County through the van's GPS tracking device. He was located in the area near Highways 50 and 31 along I-94.

According to the complaint, as Kenosha police attempted the traffic stop on Leavell's stolen vehicle, Leavell accelerated northbound on I-94 reaching up to 108 miles per hour - in a Dodge Caravan.

A Wisconsin State Trooper attempted to stop the speeding van by positioning himself in the center lane of I-94 and Highway 11 in Racine County. According to the complaint, the stolen van swerved around the State Trooper's vehicle and continued northbound. A second attempt by State Troopers to slow the vehicle came at Highway K as the deputy positioned her squad in the lefthand lane.

According to the complaint, Leavell tried swerving around the Trooper's squad, only to lose control, strike a white vehicle nearby, initiating a skid that pushed both his and the white vehicle in to a median wall.

The stolen Caravan rolled onto its roof and the passenger, a 15-year-old male, was transported via Flight for Life to the hospital with serious injuries.

When police asked why he had fled, Leavell reportedly said he didn't want to go to jail. He is currently being held in the Racine County Jail on a $15,000 cash bond.