Investigators: Police Not At Fault For Fox Lake Crash That Killed Theopolis Owens, Kayla Crews


Investigators on Friday announced that an October crash in which two people were killed Fox Lake was entirely the fault of the driver who was being pursued by police.

Theopolis O. Owens, 28, of Chicago, and Kayla Crews, 18, of Lake Geneva, Wis., died in the Oct. 20 wreck in Fox Lake. Authorities said the crash followed a high-speed chase that crossed state lines from Wisconsin to Illinois.

A 34-page issued Friday by the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team details the factors that led to the wreck and the extensive investigation that followed.

Owens was behind the wheel Oct. 20 when a Genoa City, Wis., police officer attempted to pull him over for speeding. Owens drove off, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph on the 10-minute pursuit that crossed into Illinois, according to the report.

While negotiating a curve eastbound on Illinois 173, Owens lost control of his vehicle, which crashed into a guardrail and struck a tree before catching fire. Owens and his passenger, Crews, were killed, while a second passenger, Mya B. Janczak, 18, suffered injuries, according to authorities.

Investigators ultimately determined that “the Genoa City Police Officer did not cause or contribute to cause this crash, and was more than 600 feet behind (Owens’ vehicle) when (Owens) lost control and subsequently crashed,” according to the report.

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