Ottawa police abandoned the high-speed pursuit when it reached 100 mph, fearing another motorist could get hurt. The pursuing officer was pretty sure who the fleeing driver was.

It was John Planinsek of Rockdale. He was wearing an ankle bracelet during the March 9 pursuit. Data from the GPS monitor showed him moving more than 100 mph.

That resulted in a felony charge of aggravated fleeing and eluding. By a La Salle County judge’s count, that’s 24 pending charges in Illinois alone. Judge Michelle A. Vescogni also ruled it was the last straw. There will be no more pre-trial release for Planinsek.

Planinsek has been granted pre-trial release with GPS monitoring on Nov. 12, shortly after he’d been charged with felony retail theft and unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Among the conditions of pre-trial release was that he not break any law in the state of Illinois.

He didn’t get the message. On March 9, an Ottawa patrol officer tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle did not yield and instead accelerated onto Interstate 80. The officer let him go in the interest of safety. A hunch that it was Planinsek was verified when police obtained data from his bracelet, which tracked his location and speed.

Planinsek was picked up on Thursday in Ottawa. At a Friday hearing in La Salle County Circuit Court, Planinsek and Assistant Public Defender Brad Popurella asked for one more crack at pre-trial release.

Popurella acknowledged Planinsek had a rap sheet, “It’s not the most flattering criminal history”, but argued for home confinement so that Planinsek could continue supporting his children.

But prosecutor Laura Hall argued enough was enough. Planinsek had 10 prior felony convictions and 13 failures to appear on pending charges in Illinois and Missouri.

“This defendant is the perfect example of where the pre-trial fairness act falls short,” Hall said, adding later, “He’s shown through his actions there is no regard for the law. He also has absolutely no regard for the safety of others.”

Vescogni agreed and revoked Planinsek’s pre-trial release. He’ll stay in La Salle County Jail at least until his April 10 arraignment.

Actually, Planinsek nearly drew a longer stay in jail. After his bid for release was denied, Planinsek grew frustrated, scribbled something on his application for the public defender and then muttered something under his breath.

It was loud enough for the judge to hear – “You swore at me,” Vescogni said – but an apology kept Planinsek from drawing a month or longer for direct contempt.