Driver identified, charged

CLINTONVILLE – Trenton O’Neil, 22, of Iola has been charged with attempting to flee or elude an officer, repeater, and operate motor vehicle while revoked, repeater, for a high-speed speed car chase that occurred late at night on July 24.
That evening Clintonville police officer Joe LeBreck noticed a male subject wearing a white hoodie at Kwik Trip. He suspected that might be a person that had an active warrant and did not have a valid license. He communicated this to Sergeant Andrew Kizewski who was also in the area.
There was another male passenger in the 1999 blue Honda CV-R and when they left Kwick Trip, LeBreck followed them.
“The vehicle stopped for a stop sign at Ginger Spur at County Highway I and then proceeded to make a right-hand turn, going westbound on County Highway I. I believed the route of travel was suspicious as it appeared this vehicle was avoiding traveling on main roads late at night,” wrote LeBreck in the criminal complaint filed on Sept. 23.
He informed Kizewski that he was going to do a traffic stop westbound on County Highway I towards S. Main Street. It was 11:28 p.m. LeBreck turned on his emergency lights and siren. The Honda did not slow down. Instead, the driver hit the gas.
The Honda made a sharp right at the t-intersection of County Highway I and S. Main Street, striking the curb, and it raced northbound on S. Main Street, reaching 80 mph. The Honda passed the S. Main and E. Madison intersection and cruised into the 6th and 7th Street area where other cars were on the road.
The Honda swung into the southbound lane going northbound, passing vehicles at 80 mph. The driver turned off the vehicle’s headlights. Lebreck was still on his tail with lights flashing and siren blaring.
The Honda braked hard and cut right onto N. Park Street and then turned a hard left on Anne Street and continued up to State Highway 156 and turned on to E. Greentree Road/Highway 156.
Meanwhile Kizewski was also in pursuit and Honda passed him heading south on Main Street from E. Greentree in the northbound lane.
“At this time, there were no northbound vehicles. As I proceeded to maintain my distance with the vehicle, he hit his brakes and swerved his vehicle toward my patrol car. I had to swerve to avoid a collision and abruptly brake,” wrote LeBreck.
He informed Kizewski that the vehicle swerved at him and they decided to terminate the pursuit. LeBreck contacted dispatch with the license plate info.
The Honda, the squad cars and no private or public property was damaged during the 2.88-mile chase.
The suspect vehicle came back registered to Julie Knutson. Later Kizewski contacted her and thought the passenger was her son, Tyler Knutson, the primarily driver of the Honda.
Tyler Knutson was taken into custody for an unrelated probation and parole warrant. Knutson offered no information about who was driving the vehicle and he did not know the vehicle was missing.
Later officers reviewed Kwik Trip surveillance footage and identified Brent Knutson, Tyler’s cousin and with that clue, they connected him to Trenton O’ Neil who also appeared in the Kwik Trip footage and who was the driver of the vehicle.