Police plan to seize car driven through Wauconda children's triathlon

Wauconda police want to seize the 2008 Ford Mustang GT owned by a man accused of driving through a children's triathlon Saturday morning, Chief David Wermes said Thursday.

Wermes said because the car was used in the commission of a felony, police will seek a civil court order turning it over to the department.

"It will probably take months and months," Wermes said of the process. "We are going to seize it. We are going to take it from him."

Wermes said it would be nice to use the Mustang as one of the department's patrol squad cars, but that might not be a viable option depending on the vehicle's value and other factors.

Owner Jack A. Hazen, 41, of Wauconda, is accused of driving the car through barricades blocking the intersection of Garland and Bonner roads Saturday morning, then weaving and speeding between traffic cones while children were participating nearby in a Wauconda Park District triathlon.

Wermes said Hazen was acting belligerent and agitated before driving through the barricades.

"He had no intentions of waiting or being told what to do," Wermes said.

Wermes said investigators do not believe Hazen had any intention to harm the children participating in the triathlon.

Hazen eventually was stopped and arrested about a quarter-mile down Garland Road, near the intersection with Winding Lane, authorities said.

An officer performed field sobriety tests on Hazen and decided there was not sufficient evidence to arrest him for driving under the influence, Wermes said.

Hazen is charged with aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, a felony, and reckless driving, a misdemeanor. If found guilty of the felony charge, he could face a maximum of three years in prison.

Sunday, a Lake County judge set Hazen's bail at $500,000, which means he would need to pay $50,000 cash to be released from the Lake County jail while awaiting trial.