PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Norwood man was ordered held on $250,000 bond for allegedly running away from a Peoria County jail late Tuesday and later leading deputies on a high-speed car chase that ended in Pekin.
Cory Bragg, 34, appeared in Peoria County Circuit Court charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding as well as escape in connection with the events that began around 11 p.m. Tuesday and ended at about 5 a.m. Wednesday.
An Oct. 12 preliminary hearing was scheduled though it is likely a grand jury will hear the case before then.
Bragg was taking garbage to an area behind the jail when he bolted and ran into a cornfield, according to the court. His quest for freedom ended in Pekin when, after he had led deputies on a high-speed chase with speeds reaching 90 mph, the vehicle he was in broke down, according to court records.
Bragg was arrested at about 5 a.m. after fleeing from police in a truck he took from a home off Plank Road in Bellevue, the sheriff said. That’s an area immediately adjacent to the jail.
Deputies noticed he was in the truck at about 4:40 a.m. in the Glasford area. They tried to stop him but he fled at a high rate of speed, the sheriff said.
The bond is largely academic as Bragg has to post at least $8,000 stemming from previous cases in Peoria County, according to online jail records. He’s also being held on a personal recognizance bond related to a felony case in Fulton County. It’s not known if officials there have filed anything to increase his bond in that case.
He has three pending felony cases in Peoria County besides the two new ones that involve charges of methamphetamine possession, theft, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
The new fleeing charge alleges Bragg was going more than 21 mph over the posted speed limit while he was trying to get away from a sheriff’s deputy. The escape charge states he “intentionally escaped” from the jail late Tuesday night.
The escape count has a possible seven-year maximum while the fleeing charge has a possible three-year prison term. Both would likely be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on his other pending cases.
