Antigo man arrested in Merrill after multi-county pursuit

MERRILL – An Antigo man was arrested in Merrill last week after allegedly stealing several vehicles and leading law enforcement on pursuits in multiple counties.

According to a release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, on Thursday, Oct. 8, at approximately 9:30 a.m., deputies were advised of a stolen vehicle that had been involved in a high-speed pursuit in Shawano, Menominee and Langlade counties earlier in the day.

The suspect, identified by the Sheriff’s Office as Joshua D. Micke, 44, had allegedly abandoned one stolen vehicle before stealing another one. The second stolen vehicle was reported to be last seen traveling toward Lincoln County from Antigo on State Hwy. 64, the release said.

Micke was known to have warrants for his arrest, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office said deputies monitored the area, including utilizing Flock Safety cameras for any indication that the vehicle may have entered Lincoln County, but the vehicle was not located.

A short time later, the second stolen vehicle was found abandoned at an address in northwestern Langlade County. From there, Micke stole a third vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Just before noon, Lincoln County deputies were informed that Micke had traveled to the City of Minocqua, where he reportedly stole approximately $1,000 from another vehicle.

The identifying information for the third stolen vehicle was entered into the Flock Safety system. At about 12:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office received an alert indicating that the vehicle had entered Lincoln County, traveling southbound on U.S. Hwy. 51 from U.S. Hwy. 8.

Deputies located the vehicle, still traveling southbound on U.S. Hwy. 51 near Irma, where they attempted to stop it. Micke did not stop the vehicle, resulting in another high-speed pursuit, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies pursued Micke southbound on U.S. Hwy. 51 to County Hwy. K north of Merrill, where a Merrill police officer deployed a spike strip, deflating two of the vehicle’s tires.

The Sheriff’s Office said Micke continued southbound into the City of Merrill and down several city streets. Upon turning onto E. Main St., the vehicle Micke was operating struck another vehicle. A deputy then used a Pursuit Intervention Technique (P.I.T.) to stop the vehicle on E. Main St., after which Micke fled on foot. Micke was apprehended after a short pursuit, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The driver of the vehicle that was struck received minor injuries and denied medical attention on the scene.

As a result of the incident, a deputy received a “serious/significant hand injury requiring surgery,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Micke was booked into the Lincoln County Jail and charged with felony counts of fleeing/eluding an officer, causing bodily harm; operating a vehicle without owner's consent; resisting/obstructing an officer, causing substantial bodily harm; first-degree recklessly endangering safety; and hit-and-run, causing injury. He also faces misdemeanor charges of operating after revocation – OWI-related and causing bodily harm by reckless driving, as well as a Langlade County warrant and a Department of Corrections (D.O.C.) probation/parole warrant.

The Merrill Police Department, which assisted in the pursuit, is handling the crash reports involving the collision in the City of Merrill and the Sheriff's Office squad car, according to the release.