SUPERIOR — An Iron River man is facing felony charges in Douglas County Circuit Court following a pair of high speed chases in Superior and the town of Amnicon on Sunday, Feb 19.
Andres Scott Weyandt, 18, faces charges of attempting to flee or elude an officer and drive or operate a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
Weyandt made his initial appearance in court Tuesday, Feb. 21. A cash bond of $750 was set, and he was ordered not to operate a motor vehicle at all. He remained in custody at the Douglas County Jail Wednesday, Feb. 22.
At 12:24 a.m. Sunday, Superior Police Officer Matthew Swanson saw a white Ford F-250 pickup truck traveling approximately 80 mph on Belknap Street near Pine Avenue — a 30 mph zone — according to the criminal complaint. The officer turned on his lights and sirens and pursued the vehicle, which was reportedly traveling over 100 mph. The chase lasted about 40 seconds until dangerous driving conditions forced Swanson to drop the pursuit along East Second Street, the criminal complaint said.
Sgt. Robert Stachovich with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was in an unmarked squad car near the spot where U.S. Highways 2 and 53 split. He saw the same truck traveling at a high rate of speed eastbound onto U.S. Highway 2. Stachovich turned on his emergency lights and siren and accelerated to more than 100 mph, but gained little ground on the truck until it pulled over in the area of U.S. Highway 2 and 22 Road in the town of Amnicon, the complaint said.
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Swanson responded to the traffic stop and confirmed it was the same truck he pursued in Superior.
The driver was identified as Weyandt. He told Stachovich he was driving fast to save gas, and he had been driving from the University of Wisconsin-Superior to Iron River to watch a movie, according to the criminal complaint.
Weyandt told Stachovich the truck belonged to his uncle in Chetek. When contacted, the owner of the vehicle told Stachovich he was not familiar with Weyandt and that the Iron River man did not have permission to drive the truck, the complaint said.
At the jail, Weyandt reportedly said, “I’m amazed I got from Chetek to Superior without being pulled over,” according to the criminal complaint.
Both charges are class I felonies, with a maximum penalty of three and a half years imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000 each. Weyandt’s next court appearance was set for Monday, Feb. 27.
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