Defendant's passenger describes scary ordeal
A 17-year-old Lake Villa girl testified Thursday that she saw Ronald Maas ingest heroin and drink a half bottle of rum before leading police on a three-hour chase in 2014 that left other drivers injured and cars demolished across northern Lake County.
Maas, 20, of Ingleside, is on trial this week on charges ranging from attempted murder to aggravated unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, theft, failure to report an accident resulting in injury, and aggravated driving under the influence stemming from the Nov. 13-14, 2014 chase that started in Round Lake and ended hours later in Third Lake.
Maas, who has been held in the Lake County jail on $2 million bail since his arrest, could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty of the most serious charge.
The Lake Villa girl, who is not being identified because of her age, testified that she and Maas were at a friend's house for two or three hours that night while he drank alcohol and used heroin. They left the home about 10:30 p.m. to head to another friend's residence, she said.
"We never made it to the friend's house," she said, testifying that she was scared throughout the chase.
Instead, a police officer attempted to pull over the car Maas was driving near Washington Street and Cedar Lake Avenue in Round Lake. Authorities later said Maas was wanted at the time on a warrant for burglary.
The girl testified that Maas stopped the vehicle for a few seconds, then sped off in an attempt to escape. Police said the officer gave chase briefly but ended the pursuit to avoid a possible crash. Maas' vehicle was found about 15 minutes later in Lake Villa, rolled over in a ditch.
The girl testified she and Maas ditched the car after the crash and ran through cornfield. When they got out, Maas stole a pickup truck, she said.
Over the next two hours, Maas was spotted and chased by officers in Round Lake, Grayslake, Round Lake Heights and unincorporated Lake County, police said. The pursuit nearly came to an end when police cornered Maas in a subdivision near Route 134 and Forest Avenue in Ingleside, authorities said.
However, Maas escaped by driving around a blockade of three police cars, during which an officer fired shots at the truck, authorities said. One shot hit Maas in the cheek, and another broke the passenger's-side window near where the Lake Villa teen was sitting, she testified.
The girl testified that Maas then parked outside a bar for about 30 minutes before he decided he wanted to go home. He wouldn't make it there.
The chase came to an end after Maas hit a car on Route 45 near Third Lake. He fled on foot but was arrested trying to steal another vehicle, police said.
The girl testified that she blacked out in the final crash but regained consciousness and managed to escape the truck. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Prosecutors have said Maas had a .11 blood-alcohol level when tested after the crash, above the legal limit of .08. He also had traces of cannabis, cocaine and opiates in his system, authorities said.
Defense attorney Eric Rinehart has argued Maas should not be charged with attempted murder because Maas never intended to kill anyone during the chase.
The trial is expected to last through the end of the week.