A central Illinois man is in custody after police say he led officers on a slow-speed pursuit through two counties while driving a large tractor.
The 29-year-old, of rural Athens, was arrested Thursday morning by Menard County sheriff’s deputies after he stopped the tractor and surrendered when the farm machinery approached a bridge it was too wide to cross.
The state’s attorney’s office is considering potential charges against the man, who’s being held in Menard County.
The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reported that Thursday’s pursuit traversed roadways, farm fields and pastures in Menard County, with a top speed estimated at about 22 mph, before it finally ended in Sangamon County.
The Journal-Register reported that the pursuit began after deputies received a report of someone driving a tractor erratically through a subdivision. Officers located the tractor and tried to get the driver to stop.
Police say the man attempted to strike an Athens police vehicle with the tractor during the pursuit, but the officer avoided a collision.
