Christian Baca, January 20 mugshot from Richland County Detention
RICHLAND CO., Ill. - One of the county's frequent convicts is being held at the Richland County Detention Center after a wild ride yesterday afternoon, Friday, January 20.
Richland County's sheriff's office website shows that Christian Baca, who will be 24 on Monday, is being held without bond pending an appearance in front of a judge at the Richland County Courthouse in Olney.
Baca was apprehended after a high-speed pursuit into the village of Calhoun in southern Richland County. Yesterday we reported that there was at least one county car and one Olney Police Department in pursuit; more witnesses have come forward advising that there were at least four cars in pursuit, however.
Initially it was believed another person was driving and Baca was just a passenger. However, his listed charges seem to indicate that he was the one behind the wheel; the charges are listed as Possession of Meth, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding, Reckless Driving, and Driving While License Suspended. Had he not been driving, he wouldn't have been arrested on the last three of the charges...even if the county WERE to try to trump them up. However, it remains to be seen what shakes out in the formal charges, which we won't know about until Monday, likely.
We've not learned the identity of anyone else in the vehicle; it's the weekend and impossible to get anyone in law enforcement to issue information, so we'll follow up this week. Be watching.