CALEDONIA, WI – A man made an appearance in Racine County Court on charges after he led deputies on a high-speed chase in March that reached over 120 mph.

Wayne Dykas Jr., 34, Caledonia, was charged by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office in April with first-degree recklessly endangering safety and attempting to flee or elude a police officer. If convicted of both charges, Dykas faces up to 23 years six months in prison and/or fines up to $35,000.

According to the criminal complaint, a resident called 911 on March 25 when he noticed a car parked at the end of his driveway that only had a dome light on. As the resident approached the car, it sped off.

Deputies with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department later noted that Dykas was the driver.

When they caught up with the blue 2005 Volkswagen Jetta, dispatch notified the deputies that it had been involved in a pursuit in Milwaukee on March 25. The pursuit followed a robbery that happened in Oak Creek where the person implied they had a gun, but it wasn’t seen. During that investigation, the Oak Creek Police Department developed a lead suspect, Wayne Dykas Jr. He is the son of the owner of the vehicle.

Deputies with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department found the Volkswagen Jetta parked on South Loomis Road just west of State Highway 164. The deputy followed the car until other squads could respond to the area, but it then started accelerating at a high rate of speed.

Reaching speeds over 115 mph, the squad and the Volkswagen crossed County Trunk Highway D. At the Burlington Bypass, another deputy took over the pursuit and was traveling at over 120 mph.

Because of the excessive speed, the supervisor called off the pursuit.

Two days later, the deputy spoke to Dykas’ mother, who told police that she gave the car to her son. But she hadn’t seen him in over a week.

Making an initial appearance on Tuesday, a court official set a $1,000 cash bond for Dykas. He also faces armed robbery charges in Milwaukee County that happened in January and March. He is expected to be back in Racine Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. May 29.

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