Peoria County Man Arrested After Reckless Morning Driving Spree

Peoria, IL – A local man is in custody following a series of reckless driving incidents that prompted a multi-agency law enforcement response across Peoria County on Monday morning. Kenneth Threatt, also known as Kenneth Johnson, was arrested by deputies at approximately 8:00 a.m. following a sequence of events that began earlier in the morning.

According to the Peoria County Sheriff's Office, the incident began at 6:45 a.m. near Knoxville Avenue and Timber Lane. Officers from the Peoria Police Department, Peoria Fire Department, and Advanced Medical Transport responded to reports of a male in the roadway.

Investigators determined that a passenger had exited Threatt’s moving Nissan Altima, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries after alleging he jumped due to the driver's speed and conduct. At approximately 7:25 a.m., a deputy attempted a traffic stop on Route 91 north of Dunlap after observing Threatt driving in the opposing lane of traffic.

Threatt allegedly refused to stop and continued into oncoming traffic. Authorities terminated the pursuit due to the volume of morning school traffic.

Shortly after, deputies located the vehicle near the roundabout on Radnor Road. Threatt drove to a dead end on the road before crashing the vehicle onto the Rock Island Trail.

He was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for evaluation before being booked into the Peoria County Jail. Threatt faces multiple felony traffic charges and a charge of Criminal Damage to State-Supported Property.

Official records indicate the suspect was released from prison just three days prior on September 18 and was serving a term of parole at the time of his arrest. Sheriff Chris Watkins noted that the events posed a significant risk to the public during peak morning hours.

No further injuries were reported.

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