Woman charged with endangering kids by trying to flee police at high speeds

A Bloomingdale woman has been charged with fleeing police while driving with her two children in her car.

Charmaine Hunt, 32, of the 300 block of Stratford Place, is charged with three felony counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer and one felony count of driving with a revoked license. She also is charged with two misdemeanor counts of endangering the health or life of a child. The children are ages 3 and 7, according to court records.

Hunt had outstanding warrants on four other cases where she was charged with fleeing and eluding, according to a news release from the DuPage County state's attorney's office.

Authorities say that at 8:14 p.m. Tuesday, a Carol Stream police officer tried to stop a Chevrolet Equinox near North Avenue and Schmale Road. The Equinox pulled into a parking lot, then left on North. Hunt drove more than 75 mph in a 45-mph zone and drove through red lights at President Street, Bloomingdale Road and Glen Ellyn Road.

The officer turned off his lights and sirens at that point and stopped chasing her but followed the vehicle into Lombard.

Hunt got on to I-290 eastbound, where she drove as fast as 90 mph while a Chicago Police Department helicopter followed her, according to the news release.

She was arrested in Chicago after sideswiping three vehicles, authorities said.

Hunt also was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and traffic charges, including operating an unsafe vehicle.

DuPage County Judge Mia McPherson set bail Wednesday at $250,000. Hunt would need to post $25,000 to be freed pretrial.