MARION – A California man found himself lodged in the Williamson County Jail on drug-related and other citations after leading Williamson County Sheriff’s deputies on a chase that began in Williamson County and ended in Effingham Tuesday night.

According to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies noticed Dejon D. Wooden, of Los Angeles, committing violations of the Illinois Vehicle Code around 9:20 p.m. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle and it failed to yield continuing to travel northbound on Interstate 57 from mile post 60.

Deputies continued the pursuit traveling northbound on Interstate 57 during which time the suspect passed multiple semi tractor trailers in the emergency lane, attempted to run deputies off the roadway, and traveled at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

After traveling 115 miles to Effingham, Illinois, deputies terminated the pursuit by successfully performing a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver. The maneuver resulted in the disabling of the vehicle and the apprehension of Wooden.

Deputies recovered 80.3 pounds of Cannabis and 760 ounces of Promethazine, a schedule 2 narcotic, from the vehicle. The street value of these drugs is estimated to be in excess of $250,000.

Wooden was cited for Cannabis Trafficking (Class X Felony), Possession with Intent to Deliver Cannabis (Class X Felony), Controlled Substance Trafficking (Class 2 Felony), Aggravated Assault (Class 4 Felony), Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding (Class 4 Felony), Reckless Driving (Class A misdemeanor), Speeding 35+ (Class A misdemeanor), Driving on Shoulder, Disobeying Stop Sign, and Improper Lane Usage. Wooden was  transported to and remanded into the custody of the Williamson County Jail.

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Effingham Police Department, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mt. Vernon Police Department for their assistance.