MENDOTA, IL — A Lee County judge has set a Sept. 10 status hearing for a Wisconsin man accused of firing at an Illinois state trooper during a 2022 chase that crossed into Wisconsin. Michael D. Winch, 45, of Brooklyn, Wisconsin, faces multiple felony charges in Lee County tied to the Oct. 27, 2022 pursuit. Prosecutors say shots were fired from the suspect vehicle toward an ISP squad car on Interstate 39 near Mendota, striking the car but not the trooper. Winch did not appear at the July 30 hearing because he is already in Wisconsin custody.
Charges in Lee County
Court records show Winch is charged with armed violence, aggravated discharge of a firearm, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, criminal damage to government property, and drug possession counts involving cocaine and another controlled substance. The most serious allegations include a Class X armed violence charge and a Class 1 aggravated discharge count. The Lee County case is rooted in the same chase that began after Illinois State Police responded to a shooting report on Interstate 39 in La Salle County. Officials say the incident escalated quickly and moved across the state line before the vehicle was stopped.
Chase ended in Wisconsin
According to an Illinois State Police release, the vehicle briefly got away before being located again on Interstate 39 in Wisconsin. It later ran out of gas in Clinton, Wisconsin, where Winch was taken into custody along with Michael P. Goodman, 42, of Madison, Wisconsin, and Heather N. Hyatt, 47, of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Investigators reported finding cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, digital scales with white residue and live ammunition inside the vehicle. The evidence described in court records became part of the criminal cases filed in both Illinois and Wisconsin.
Related Wisconsin cases
Winch also faced charges in Rock County, Wisconsin, including cocaine possession with intent to deliver, fentanyl possession with intent to deliver, maintaining a drug trafficking place, marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty to the cocaine charge on March 15, 2023, and the remaining counts were dismissed under a plea deal. On March 29, 2023, he received a three-year prison sentence followed by two years of extended supervision. He is currently held at Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin, and is serving a sentence that runs until October 2027, according to his attorney.
Other defendants' cases
Goodman, identified by police as the driver, has already resolved his case in Lee County. He pleaded guilty March 19 to unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and unlawful possession of cocaine, and Judge Jacquelyn D. Ackert sentenced him to a maximum of 12 years. Hyatt still has pending charges in Lee County for possession of cocaine and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, with a court date set for Aug. 19. At the July 30 hearing, Winch’s attorney asked for another status date, and Ackert scheduled the next appearance for 1:30 p.m. Sept. 10.
CLS Gator Prints keeps Illinois and the Heartland in the know.
