SPARTA, Wis. – For Sparta police the afternoon on Thanksgiving started as a fairly routine burglary call. Somebody spotted three guys hauling expensive tools out of a hardware store and loading them in a vehicle. Shortly thereafter, about 2 p.m., cops spotted the vehicle a few blocks away in line for burgers at McDonald’s. Deputy Police Chief Booker Ferguson gave this adrenalin-surging account of what happened next: As an officer approached the vehicle, the driver accelerated out of the drive-through line toward the officer. The vehicle then collided with a second squad car and fled south on Highway 27 toward Cashton. Speeds reached 100 mph. During the 15-mile chase, a passenger in the back seat held up a handmade sign saying “help” in the rear window. Police disabled the vehicle and surrounded it in Cashton. Arrested without incident:
>Trevor Maloney, 23, of Junction City, the driver.
> Cody Lubben, 28, of LaCrosse.
> Dennis Shay, 35, of LaCrosse.
In their vehicle police found items that had been stolen from All American Do It Center at 1310 West Wisconsin Street in Sparta. Also in the vehicle police said: Meth and drug paraphernalia.Charges being considered: Felony theft, felony fleeing, possession of methamphetamines, felony recklessly endangering safety, and probation violations.