Jacksonville Man Arrested After High-Speed Chase on Route 267

By Jeremy Coumbes on November 5, 2021 at 1:24pm

A Jacksonville man lead police on a high-speed chase before crashing and fleeing his vehicle Thursday morning.

Murrayville-Woodson Police attempted a traffic stop for a traffic violation in Murrayville at approximately 9:30 yesterday morning. Murrayville-Woodson Chief of Police Derrick Suttles says the driver of the vehicle failed to yield to his lights and sirens and left the scene at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

Suttles says due to the high rates of speed he terminated the pursuit but stayed far enough back that he could still see the vehicle as it traveled northbound on Route 267.

He says the suspect vehicle then turned east onto Interstate 72 to the Morton Avenue exit where he proceeded west toward town, turning north on Blacks Lane and then west into Jacksonville on the Old State Road.

Suttles says he lost sight of the vehicle at that point, however, Jacksonville Police were able to locate it speeding through the north end of town. The suspect vehicle fled to a house at 320 East Lafayette Street where it then hit a dumpster that was in the yard of the house.

The driver and lone occupant, 23-year-old John L. Burton of the 1000 block of Hackett Avenue then fled into the residence, where after a short time he came out and turned himself in to authorities.

Burton was booked into the Morgan County Jail at approximately 11:00 am on charges of fleeing and attempting to elude an officer, speeding, and driving with a revoked or suspended license. Burton was later released with a notice to appear in Morgan County Court.