A car slammed into a utility pole on North Dewey Avenue in Reedsburg Wednesday afternoon and burst into flames, and the driver allegedly ran from the wreck before officers tracked him down and he began threatening to hurt them. Police identified the man as 24-year-old Ifeanyichukwu G. Ihuoma, who was arrested on suspicion of OWI and now faces two counts of threatening to cause bodily harm to law enforcement.
First responders were called to the 1400 block of North Dewey Avenue at 2:33 p.m. Wednesday, according to WKOW, after witnesses reported the vehicle had been traveling at a high rate of speed just before it struck the pole. The crash left the vehicle engulfed in flames, and as reported by wmtv15news.com, the Reedsburg Fire Department responded to extinguish the fire.
Ihuoma ran from the scene before police arrived, per the station's report. Officers located him with help from nearby witnesses and took him into custody, after which the Reedsburg Police Department says he threatened to harm officers repeatedly.
Officer Checked the Burning Car for Other Victims
Before firefighters could fully knock down the flames, a Reedsburg police officer broke out all the windows of the burning vehicle to make sure no one else was trapped inside. The vehicle turned out to be empty aside from the driver, the same account notes.
Reedsburg Ambulance arrived to provide Ihuoma with on-scene care before transporting him to a local medical facility. He was later taken to the Sauk County Jail once he was medically cleared, according to the same report from the station's coverage.
Charges and Citations Pile Up
Beyond the OWI arrest and the two threat counts, Ihuoma was cited for hit and run involving property adjacent to the highway, operating a motor vehicle by permittee without an authorized person, and unreasonable and imprudent speed. Reedsburg Utilities also responded to the scene to inspect the utility pole, which the report described as severely damaged.
WKOW's crime coverage of the incident was authored by Chad Thompson, the station's digital content manager. No further details on the extent of Ihuoma's injuries, the specific threats he allegedly made, or the officers involved have been released.
