Police use drone, dog to capture fleeing suspects in Lake County

Two people were captured late Tuesday in Lake County after leading police on a high-speed chase, authorities said.

Shelmar K. Mays Jr., 28, of Waukegan, was charged with multiple drug and traffic charges following the chase that concluded when authorities deployed a drone and police dog to locate Mays and a female passenger.

According to a press release from the Lake County sheriff’s office, a deputy attempted to pull over Mays for speeding on Route 41 near Wadsworth at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Mays initially pulled into a gas station, but then sped away north in the southbound lanes of Route 41.

The deputy lost sight of Mays’ vehicle, but eventually located it near the intersection of Kelly and Mill Creek roads. A short time later, a 911 caller notified police that two people had just run westbound across the nearby Interstate 94 tollway.

Libertyville police deployed a drone and were able to locate two individuals hiding in a tree line west of the tollway. A Gurnee police dog was also deployed to help locate the pair, who were ultimately taken into custody.

Mays was found with multiple bags of marijuana on him as well as numerous credit cards belonging to other people, officials said.

He was granted pretrial release and is scheduled to appear in court March 28. The 22-year-old female passenger was released pending further investigation, authorities added.