A 39-year-old man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly driving into oncoming traffic in Peoria County on Monday morning, then crashing his car onto the Rock Island Trail near a dead end off Radnor Road. A passenger in the vehicle jumped out while it was still moving, worried about how fast the driver was going, and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Kenneth Threatt, who also goes by Kenneth Johnson, was arrested around 8 a.m. and taken to a local hospital for evaluation, according to 1470 & 100.3 WMBD. The station reports he was expected to be booked into the county jail on charges of criminal damage to state-supported property and multiple felony traffic offenses once he was released from medical care.
A Passenger Bails Out Near Knoxville and Timber Lane
The incident began around 6:45 a.m. when Peoria police responded to the area near Knoxville Avenue and Timber Lane after a man was found in the roadway, according to Central Illinois Proud. That man told officers he had been a passenger in Threatt's Nissan Altima but jumped out while it was moving because of how fast Threatt was driving. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries, per the same report.
The station's account states that Peoria police, Peoria Fire and AMT all responded to the scene near Knoxville and Timber Lane. From there, the search for the driver shifted north of the city.
Deputies Spot Threatt Driving Into Oncoming Traffic
Around 7:25 a.m., Peoria County deputies located Threatt allegedly driving southbound in the opposing lane of traffic on Illinois Route 91 north of Dunlap, the same report notes. After a deputy reportedly initiated a traffic stop, Threatt allegedly accelerated and drove directly into oncoming traffic.
Deputies made the call to stop the pursuit for public safety reasons because of the amount of school-related traffic in the area at that hour, the outlet reports. Threatt was later spotted near the roundabout on Radnor Road, where he drove to a dead end before crashing onto the Rock Island Trail.
Sheriff Calls Out Timing of the Incident
Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins said Threatt's actions put countless people at risk. He described the crash as coming at the worst possible time for an unprovoked incident like this, according to the dossier's record of his remarks, and said it was fortunate no one was seriously injured.
Authorities said Threatt had been released from prison just three days before Monday's incident and was currently on parole, per the sheriff's office. He was arrested for criminal damage to state-supported property and multiple felony traffic offenses, according to the same source.
