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PEMBROKE TOWNSHIP – Five juveniles were arrested by Kankakee County sheriff’s deputies Monday morning for allegedly stealing a vehicle and leading police on a chase that at times crossed the state line into Indiana.
The juveniles were taken into custody after fleeing into a cornfield in Pembroke Township, according to a news release from the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested two 15-year-old males, a 14-year-old male, a 14-year-old female, and a 16-year-old male, all of whom were residents of Kankakee, police said.
About 12:35 a.m. Monday, Kankakee County sheriff’s deputies located a vehicle that had been reported stolen from the 1500 block of South Fifth Avenue in Kankakee shortly before midnight, police said.
When deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle fled, leading officers on a pursuit that crossed into Indiana multiple times before ultimately crashing the vehicle into a Pembroke Township cornfield.
Deputies deployed a drone equipped with a spotlight and thermal imaging capabilities to the area of 18000 East Road and 5000 South Road, police said.
The drone quickly detected all five occupants, who were safely taken into custody without further incident, police said.
“This incident highlights the importance of interagency collaboration and the value of emerging technologies in modern law enforcement,” Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said in the release.
“The swift and coordinated response – particularly the effective use of the thermal imaging drone in a challenging environment like a hot cornfield – was instrumental in ensuring the safe apprehension of these juveniles without injury to officers or suspects.
“I commend all of the agencies involved for their professionalism and teamwork, now if we can just get parents to start adequately parenting again we would all be much better off.”
The juveniles were released to the custody of their parents or guardians.
The Kankakee Police Department and the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force are continuing to investigate the incident.