Police pursuit ends with arrest

A search for a Taylor man who had a warrant out for his arrest ended in Strum thanks to the use of technology and the assistance of civilians last week Tuesday.

According to the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department, Jesse Honaker, 40, fled from police officers after he was reported to have been driving erratically and that he had thrown an orange out his window, across the street. When officers arrived, Honaker exited his vehicle and ran from the scene.

The foot pursuit entered a wooded area on Oak St. near the Buffalo River before a perimeter was set up around the wooded area and the river bottom. Investigator Eduardo Hernandez and his partner, K9 Luke, began tracking the subject while deputy Osmani Cruz searched the area with a drone.

The sheriff’s department then received a report of a male subject running from Willow Street into the woods by the river.

Hernandez and K9 Luke lost track of Honaker after he crossed the river, but another perimeter had been set up. Using the drone, Cruz spotted Honaker in a grassy and wooded area on the bank of the river. Officers moved to the location and took Honaker into custody.

The pursuit started after a call had been made to dispatch after Honaker allegedly bumped the rear-bumper of the car in front of him in the Co-Op Credit Union drive-through. He was then reported to have thrown an orange out the window and across the street from the credit union.

While charges from this incident had yet to be filed as of Monday of this week, Honaker has had 18 cases in Trempealeau and Jackson counties filed since June 24, including two felony cases in Jackson County.