Man pleads guilty to ramming Spring Grove police car in stolen truck, gets 5 years

A Fox Lake man was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to charges alleging he rammed a Spring Grove patrol vehicle while fleeing in a stolen pickup truck.

Brandon M. Vice, 36, pleaded guilty on Thursday to possession of a stolen vehicle and aggravated fleeing police, according to McHenry County court records.

In exchange for his guilty plea, an additional charge of aggravated fleeing was dismissed as well as driving on a revoked or suspended license, possession of license plates without authority, possessing/burglary tools and reckless driving, court records show.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred about 12:30 a.m. Nov. 26, 2022 on State Park Road, when a Spring Grove police officer tried to stop a stolen 2005 Ford F-350 pickup truck with Wisconsin registration. The driver, later identified as Vice, did not stop and struck a Spring Grove patrol vehicle while trying to flee, according to police and the indictment.

The officer was uninjured and damage to the patrol vehicle was “minimal as the officer was wise enough to move his vehicle” after the impact, police said.

During the chase, Vice reached speeds of up to 96 mph in a 55 mph zone, according to the criminal complaint. The chase ended in Waukegan where the stolen vehicle became inoperable and Vice fled on foot, police said.

Vice was apprehended shortly later, while police collected eyewitness statements and social media records further linking Vice to the crime, according to a statement from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office on Monday.

He also was accused of illegally possessing dealership vehicle license plates from Wisconsin and Illinois. Vice also was accused of illegally possessing tools used for breaking into buildings, vehicles and padlocks including bolt cutters, lock cutting tool, screw drivers and needle nose pliers, according to the indictment.

Vice is required to serve half of his prison sentence. When released, he will be on one year and six months of mandatory supervised release.

Vice will receive credit for 399 days served in the county jail as well as additional 201 days for time spent in life skills and self-improvement programs while in the jail, according to the judgement order.

His attorney Brian Stevens said the court took into consideration Vice’s “significant drug addiction which lead to his unfortunate conduct.”

Stevens said Vice also took “responsibility for his actions.”

Additional, unrelated cases involving Vice allegedly being in the possession of a stolen 2009 Honda Motorcycle on Aug. 21, 2021, and obstructing justice on June 30, 2022, by refusing to provide a DNA sample also were dismissed as part of the plea, records show.