2nd Week in October 2026 Recap

It was another busy week for first responders across Stephenson County, with scanner traffic from October 4 through October 10 ranging from high-speed pursuits and rollover crashes to fires, medical emergencies, welfare checks and several unusual calls.

The week’s most significant law enforcement incident happened Monday night when an attempted traffic stop near Rock City turned into a high-speed pursuit through rural Stephenson County. According to the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office, speeds exceeded 100 mph during the approximately 11-mile pursuit. Deputies successfully deployed stop strips, deflating all four tires before the vehicle left the roadway and crashed near Orangeville. The vehicle later caught fire, and Orangeville Fire was paged to the scene. The driver was taken into custody and later charged with aggravated fleeing to elude a peace officer and other offenses.

Several other crashes kept emergency crews busy. On McConnell Road near Freeport, responders were called to a single-vehicle rollover with entrapment, with injuries initially unknown. Lena-area responders handled another rollover on Crossroads Road that was reported without injuries. A phone-activated crash alert sent responders to German Valley Road and Browns Mill Road, while Freeport crews responded to multiple other vehicle accidents throughout the week.

Deer were again a problem on area roads. A car struck a deer on Juda Road near East Walnut Grove Road in the Rock City area. Later in the week, Pearl City Fire, Leamon’s Ambulance and the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Department responded to a motorcycle versus deer crash at Route 73 and Hershey Road. The rider was reported injured, while both the motorcycle and deer were off the roadway.

Fire departments also handled a wide variety of calls. In Freeport, crews responded to a power line fire and low-hanging wires on South Oak Avenue, a smoking dumpster after charcoal was reportedly discarded inside, multiple residential and commercial fire alarms, smoke investigations and reports of possible illegal burns. Ridott-area firefighters were called for a pit burning next to a silo, while Dakota crews responded to a combine on fire on Hillcrest Road just north of Cedarville Road.

Medical calls continued to make up a large portion of scanner traffic. EMS crews responded throughout the week for people experiencing difficulty breathing, seizures, possible strokes, chest pain, fainting, severe pain, infections, falls and other illnesses. Several calls involved people reported as unresponsive, including some who were still breathing or later became responsive.

Sensitive calls included domestic incidents, suicide-related calls and a possible DOA. As always, exact addresses were withheld from those incidents when appropriate to protect the privacy of the people and families involved.

Law enforcement also responded to welfare checks, theft complaints, suspicious people and vehicles, electronic harassment, 911 hang-ups and open lines, fights and other public-assistance calls. In Orangeville, officers were called for a missing child who was later located.

There were also plenty of less typical calls during the week. Deputies checked on loose dogs, cows near the roadway, a broken manhole cover in Eleroy, a stranded motorist who ran out of fuel, a semi that lost part of its cargo, another semi reported driving recklessly, and farm equipment being pulled without lights. A referee was reportedly struck by a player during a play at the Dakota High School football game. He was transported to Mercy Hospital in Freeport.

From Freeport, Lena and Orangeville to Pearl City, Dakota, Rock City, Ridott, German Valley, Eleroy and other parts of Stephenson County, police, fire and EMS crews handled a wide range of calls during the seven-day period.

This Week in Review covers scanner calls logged from October 4 through October 10. It is not a complete record of every call for service in Stephenson County. Scanner information is preliminary, and details may change as additional information becomes available.