WEST FRANKFORT – Three Florida residents were taken to the Franklin County Jail following a chase with law enforcement on I-57 in Franklin and Williamson counties Monday.
West Frankfort Police Chief John Prudent says around 6:20 p.m., officers saw a black Kia passenger car going west on Main Street near Logan Street. The vehicle’s registration plate was obstructed by a piece of white paper which made the registration plate unreadable.
Officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the car and the car accelerated to a high rate of speed and began to flee. The vehicle fled west on West Main Street and then turned north onto I-57. The car turned around in the center median three-quarters of a mile north of West Frankfort and began fleeing south on I-57 at a high rate of speed. The vehicle continued south on I-57 traveling at speeds of 120+ mph before turning around in the center median near mile marker 48. The car then traveled north on I-57 at speeds of 120+ mph in a posted 70 mph zone. The car eventually became disabled on I-57 near mile marker 73. The occupants were removed from the car and taken into custody without further incident.
The occupants of the vehicle were identified as 27-year-old Quanisha N. Bryant of Pompano Beach, FL; 19-year-old Jason S. Gibbons of Pompano Beach, FL; and 23-year-old Daequon D. Hixson of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Bryant, Hixon, and Gibbons were all transported to the Franklin County Jail where they are being held on charges of Criminal Damage to Government Supported Property, Obstructing Justice, Aggravated Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Peace Officer, Speeding 116 mph/55mph zone (Construction), Speeding 80 mph/30 mph zone, Obstructed Registration, Improper Lane Usage and No Valid Driver’s License.
The West Frankfort Police Department would like to thank the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department, the Marion Police Department, the Johnston City Police Department, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, the Benton Police Department, the West City Police Department, and the Illinois State Police for their assistance in this incident.