A Wisconsin man wanted on a felony warrant accusing him of sexually assaulting a child was taken into custody Saturday morning after leading Marquette County deputies on a chase that ended in an hours-long armed standoff. Travis Dunnett had been sought on charges including two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child under 12, repeated sexual assault of a child and child enticement, tied to alleged offenses dating back more than a decade.
According to wmtv15news.com, Dunnett had an active arrest warrant against him for the child-sex-assault and child-enticement charges tied to alleged assaults that happened between January 2010 and September 11, 2013. Deputies first went looking for Dunnett at his home, but he wasn't there when they arrived. A short time later, a deputy spotted his car in the area and attempted a traffic stop, according to WKOW, which reported the standoff occurred in Montello, Wisconsin.
A Chase Through Fields and a Ditch
Instead of pulling over, Dunnett allegedly drove into a ditch to get around a squad car, kept going, blew through a stop sign and then cut onto a service road running through a field in an apparent attempt to shake deputies, per the same wmtv15news.com report. The pursuit eventually slowed when Dunnett's vehicle coasted to the shoulder of the road, where officials say he pulled out a rifle and barricaded himself inside the car.
Per the Marquette County Sheriff's Office, Dunnett displayed the rifle during the standoff that followed, and the department's drone team was brought in to provide aerial support and situational awareness as negotiators worked the scene, according to WKOW's reporting. The station's report indicates deputies negotiated with Dunnett for several hours before he ultimately got out of the vehicle, unloaded the firearm and was taken into custody without further incident.
Additional Felony Charges Now Pending
Beyond the original warrant, Dunnett now faces new felony charges for attempting to flee or elude an officer and for failing to comply with an officer's attempt to take him into custody, the outlet reported. A Wisconsin statute describing that latter offense covers refusing to comply with an officer's lawful attempt to take a person into custody, or retreating and, through action or threat, attempting to prevent an officer from doing so, according to the Wisconsin Legislature.
Dunnett is being held at the Marquette County Jail on the original warrant along with the newly filed charges. No additional details about a bail amount, booking record or upcoming court date have been made public.
