Ingleside man cleared of attempted murder, guilty of other crimes
A jury found an Ingleside man not guilty Friday of attempting to kill a police officer during a three-hour chase in 2014 that resulted in numerous crashes and injuries to innocent bystanders.
However, Ronald Maas, 20, was found guilty on multiple counts of aggravated unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, theft, failure to report an accident resulting in injury, and aggravated driving under the influence — all stemming from the chase that began in Round Lake and ended hours later in Third Lake.
Maas could get up to 29 years in prison when he is sentenced on Aug. 12.
“While we are disappointed in the verdict on attempted murder of a police officer, justice was done for the many people he almost killed that day,” said Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Rod Drobinski.
“The county can sleep easier knowing Mr. Maas will be locked up for the foreseeable future.”
During closing arguments Friday, Drobinski said Maas was on a “path of mayhem” and should be held accountable for leading police on the chase that started about 10:30 p.m. Nov. 13. The chase went through Round Lake, Lake Villa, Grayslake, Round Lake Heights and unincorporated Lake County.
Witnesses testified Maas was drinking alcohol and using heroin for two or three hours before leaving in a stolen vehicle to go to another friend's residence with a 15-year-old girl.
On the way, a police officer attempted to pull over the car near Washington Street and Cedar Lake Avenue in Round Lake. Maas stopped the vehicle for a few seconds, authorities said, then sped off.
Police said the officer briefly gave chase but ended the pursuit to avoid a possible crash. About 15 minutes later, the stolen vehicle Maas was driving was found rolled over in a ditch in Lake Villa.
Police said Maas then stole a Ford F-350 pickup and over the next two hours was chased by officers
The pursuit nearly came to an end when police cornered Maas in a subdivision near Route 134 and Forest Avenue in Ingleside, but Maas drove the stolen pickup around a blockade of three police cars and slammed into another pickup truck on Route 134, police said.
After the crash, Maas backed up hard into a squad car, slammed forward into the pickup again, then tried to drive away. Authorities said a Round Lake Heights officer fired three shots at the truck, with one shot hitting Maas in the cheek.
Drobinski said Maas — after being shot — tried to run over the officer in an effort to escape.
“He wanted to get away, and he was going to run over anyone or anything in his path,” Drobinski told the jury.
However, defense attorney Eric Rinehart said Maas never intentionally tried to run over the officer and the gun wasn't fired until Maas was driving away.
“Ronnie Maas is innocent of attempted murder,” Rinehart said during closing arguments Friday afternoon in front of Judge George Strickland.
“There is not one iota of evidence that supports their (prosecutors') version.”
Had the jury found Maas guilty of attempted murder, he could have been sentenced to up to 30 years on that count and would have to serve 85 percent of the time before becoming eligible for parole.
“Be mad at Ronnie Maas,” Rinehart said Friday. “He hurt people, he broke people, but he didn't intend to kill anyone.”
The chase came to an end after Maas flipped the truck on Route 45 near Third Lake after a crash with another vehicle.
He fled on foot but was arrested trying to steal a third vehicle, police said.
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.