Hunter
05/26/21
A Chicago man faces nearly 20 years in prison if he’s convicted on all charges relating to a high-speed chase that started on Interstate 80 Tuesday morning.
According to authorities, 34-year-old Aaron Gilbert was stopped for traveling at 92 miles an hour in a 65-miles an hour zone as he headed westbound near the 241 mile marker at around 11:15am. He stopped, but then allegedly fled from the traffic stop, passing on both shoulders of the interstate and driving recklessly. Police say he almost lost control of his Jeep Renegade several times during the pursuit.
Gilbert reached top speeds of 120 miles per hour during the pursuit as he traveled through different speed zones and multiple interstate and US highways. He’s also accused of throwing marijuana out of the vehicle during the pursuit, and more marijuana was located in the vehicle once he was finally stopped.
Upon contact, Gilbert allegedly admitted to using marijuana while driving. He failed field sobriety testing and refused a urine specimen.
During the entire incident, Gilbert’s 7 and 12-year-old children were in the vehicle with him. Additionally, he was discovered with more marijuana on his person at the Johnson County Jail.
Gilbert faces charges of Eluding, 2 counts of Child Endangerment, Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Institution, OWI first offense, Marijuana possession, and several moving violations. If convicted on all charges, Gilbert could be sentenced to up to 18 years in prison.