Milwaukee men charged in Portage high-speed chase, suspected in thefts

Two Milwaukee men faced felony charges and several citations in Columbia County Circuit Court on Monday stemming from a police chase of two vehicles across Portage early Wednesday.When officers searched the car they found GPS units, a jack knife, a Social Security card belonging to someone else, a woman’s credit card, a National Guard backpack, and a portable Car DVD player. The vehicle’s owner told officers that he didn’t know how any of those things got in the car.

Branden M. Brown, 21, and Deangelo Dwayne Sykes, 18, are each charged with attempting to flee a police officer and operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent.

Police were called around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday by a man who saw his Jeep being taken from his driveway on the north side of Portage, heading toward Airport Road. Officers soon located the Jeep, as well as another suspect vehicle, a 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix, and tried to get the drivers to pull over, but the two vehicles took off in different directions.

The two vehicles led police around the city until, according to court documents, the Pontiac stopped at West Carroll Street and Sykes surrendered to authorities. The vehicle belonged to a relative who did not want to press charges for auto theft.

The Jeep was abandoned on West Wisconsin Street and Brown escaped on foot, leaving the Jeep running. He was found in a residence on West Pleasant, the home of the owner of the Pontiac, where Brown was arrested for violation of parole.

Brown was released from Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility on July 16. On Sept. 13, 2013 Brown was convicted of felony taking a vehicle without consent as party to a crime.

Brown and Sykes are suspected in a string of reports of vandalism, forced entry and theft from vehicles. More charges are expected, according to an announcement from the Portage Police Department.

In the bail hearing, District Attorney Jane Kohlwey requested a high cash bond to be imposed on Brown considering that the incident happened only a short time after it is believed that he arrived in Portage, his limited ties to the area, and that they mirror a prior conviction for which he is still under state supervision.

“It sounds like the defendant created a three-ring circus,” said Judge W. Andrew Voigt. “Considering allegations of repeat offense and that he had just arrived in the community,” he agreed with Kohlwey’s proposal and set Brown’s bond at $1,000 cash bail with an order for him to have no contact with Sykes.

Brown is due back in court Oct. 9.

Kohlwey noted that since Sykes had just turned 18, the district attorney’s office does not have access to out-of-county juvenile records.

“He indicates to me that he has never been in court before,” said defense attorney Leonie Dolch.

Working on the assumption that “he was not the one that put all the events in motion,” Voigt set Sykes’s bond at $150 cash and ordered him to return for his hearing on Oct. 1, and in the meantime to have no contact with Brown.

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