Prosecutors say a 38-year-old Villa Park man pushed a Mercury Grand Marquis to 108 mph on Interstate 88 before bailing into a Motel 6 room and calling it quits.
Authorities identified the driver as James Hutson. He was arrested Friday after, according to prosecutors, he ran into a room at a Villa Park Motel 6 and surrendered to officers who had trailed the car there.
As reported by FOX 32 Chicago, a DuPage County sheriff's deputy first spotted the Mercury near Ogden Avenue and Naper Boulevard with plates registered to a different vehicle. When the deputy tried to pull the car over with lights and siren near Naper Boulevard and Naperville-Wheaton Road, prosecutors say the driver took off onto eastbound I-88 and hit roughly 108 mph.
Deputies reportedly ended the high-speed pursuit in Oakbrook Terrace but later followed the car to the Motel 6 in Villa Park, where Hutson ran into a room and then surrendered, according to prosecutors.
Charges and penalties
Hutson faces multiple counts including aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer, which is a Class 4 felony, and driving while his license was suspended, which prosecutors said was charged as a fourth-to-ninth offense. Under Illinois law, repeat convictions for driving while suspended can be elevated to felony charges. The Illinois General Assembly's statute outlines when a fourth-through-ninth offense may be prosecuted as a Class 4 felony and the associated penalties, according to the Illinois General Assembly.
Prosecutors' response and court date
Prosecutors say Hutson has already appeared in court on the charges and is scheduled to return on June 22, 2026. As outlined by FOX 32 Chicago, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said, "In DuPage County, law enforcement is one hundred percent committed to pursuing alleged offenders who put the public at risk."
What to watch next
The case will move through DuPage County court records in the coming weeks, with the June 22 hearing likely to signal how prosecutors plan to proceed. For now, officials say the incident highlights the county's focus on vehicle pursuits and public safety.
