WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. – A Los Angeles man allegedly led southern Illinois deputies on a 115-mile pursuit before his arrest, which led investigators to nearly $250,000 worth of drugs.

Dejon D. Wooden is behind bars in connection with the lengthy pursuit and several drug offenses.

Southern Illinois deputies recover $250K worth of drugs after 115-mile pursuit

The pursuit began just before midnight Wednesday in Williamson County, Illinois. One deputy attempted to stop a vehicle on Interstate 57 before Wooden allegedly took off and headed northbound.

During the pursuit, Wooden reportedly passed multiple tractor trailers, traveled at speeds in excess of 100 mph and attempted to run deputies off the roadway. The pursuit ended in Effingham when Williamson County deputies performed a PIT maneuver to disable Wooden’s vehicle.

Amid the arrest, police reported the discovery of 80 pounds of cannabis and around 48 pounds of promethazine, which have a reported street value of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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“The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and it’s Deputies are committed to disrupting criminal activity. Drug interdiction is only one example of the steps we take every day to ensure public safety”, said Sheriff Jeff Diederich via a Facebook post.

Wooden is being held in the Williamson County Jail. He faces five felonies, including cannabis trafficking, aggravated assault and aggravated fleeing and alluding, along with several misdemeanors.

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