Thomson man held on $50,000 for Monday high-speed chase

Police clocked the suspect at nearly 115 mph. Police said he drove at a school bus but steered away before a collision. He allegedly drove at an officer who dived for cover and sustained minor injury.

James R. Tracy, 38, of Thomson was ordered held Tuesday on $50,000 bond for three felony charges incurred during a high-speed chase Monday begun in Lostant and ending near Utica. For now, Tracy could face up to five years in prison if convicted of aggravated assault and/or two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding.

Tracy will next appear Thursday, May 6, but whether he’ll be accompanied by a lawyer has yet to be determined. At a Tuesday bond hearing, Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. asked Tracy if he wanted the public defender or time to hire private counsel. The judge couldn’t get an answer.

Instead, Tracy launched into a loud and at times incomprehensible rant over big business-government conspiracies, during which he claimed to have been trailed for 10 years. He demanded he be granted a change of venue to the Supreme Court of the United States in hopes of getting a fair trial.

Tracy isn’t going to Washington, D.C. He’s staying in La Salle County Jail unless he can post $5,000 in cash while prosecutors take his case to a grand jury.

The chase began at 1:38 p.m. Monday when a Lostant police officer observed Tracy driving a black Toyota truck headed south on Route 251 north of Route 18.

Lostant Police Chief Brad Anderson said in a press release the truck was seen “swerving around vehicles and driving erratically.” When Tracy passed a Lostant squad car, the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but Tracy allegedly failed to halt and committed multiple traffic violations.

Anderson said Tracy drove down a dead-end county road and, while trying to turn around, struck the Lostant patrol vehicle. Tracy entered Interstate 39 northbound and “veered towards” two La Salle County sheriff’s deputies, one of whom was laying stop sticks to halt Tracy’s truck.

“The suspect came so close to the deputy that he had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck,” Anderson said.

Tracy reversed course on I-39 north of I-80 and veered toward a second police vehicle, Anderson said. Tracy then entered Interstate 80 eastbound, where he allegedly “attempted to brake hard” in front of the pursuing cruiser in an attempt to cause a collision. Tracy finally was halted at the Utica exit.

And in open court Tuesday, Assistant La Salle County State’s Attorney Matt Kidder disclosed Tracy at one point drove toward a school bus but then swerved out of the way before impact.

Multiple agencies assisted in the pursuit and apprehension, including La Salle police.