HILLSDALE — A local man who pled guilty to a slew of criminal charges in connection with a high-speed police chase spanning half of Hillsdale County has been sentenced.
Ellis Lonzo Howard II, 26, of Homer, appeared in the 1st Judicial Circuit Court of Hillsdale County on Aug. 25 for sentencing after pleading guilty July 7 to four counts of felonious assault, attempted second-degree fleeing police, operating while intoxicated, driving without insurance and driving without a license. He will serve most of the coming year in jail.
Officers with the Hillsdale City Police Department initiated a traffic stop on Howard’s vehicle in the twilight hours of Dec. 18, 2024, but he reportedly took off, leading officers down back-country roads before making his way to US-12.
Officers with the Michigan State Police and Hillsdale attempted to use stop-sticks to end the pursuit just east of the village of Allen, but were unsuccessful.
Howard reportedly rammed three police cruisers during the pursuit and eventually crashed into a utility pole in Allen, severely injuring a female passenger in his truck.
One count of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily impairment and two counts of malicious destruction of private property were dismissed Aug. 25, pursuant to the plea bargain.
Howard is tentatively scheduled for release on July 20, 2026.
— Contact reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @cmurrayhdn.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Homer man sentenced for high-speed chase, ramming police cruisers
Reporting by Corey J. Murray, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
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