Man pleads guilty to possessing stolen vehicle
A man accused of fleeing Villa Park police at nearly 100 mph has pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Cleveland Smith, 52, of the 0-100 block of South 15th Avenue in Maywood, is due back in court Feb. 16 for receipt of a pre-sentencing investigation report.
Smith has been held in the DuPage County jail on $500,000 bond since his arrest Aug. 12, 2023.
Charges of aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer, driving with a suspended license, resisting a police officer, illegal transportation of open alcohol by a driver and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia were dropped in exchange for the plea.
Authorities alleged a Villa Park police officer saw a red Toyota 4Runner on St. Charles Road that had been reported stolen Aug. 7 in Chicago. The officer tried to stop the vehicle at a traffic light at St. Charles and Route 83. The officer approached on foot and told Smith to stop the car, according to police.
Smith instead drove off, went onto westbound Interstate 290, drove on a shoulder and nearly hit a motorcyclist. He eventually was stopped by tire-deflation spikes on Diversey Parkway, according to court records.