Double Murder Suspect In Custody In Wisconsin
Updated 07/04/14 - 1:18 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Rockford man wanted for killing two people earlier this week was in custody in Wisconsin on Friday afternoon, after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed into a tree.
Winnebago County Sheriff's police said Terence Doddy, 36, was arrested around noon, after crashing into a tree on Highway 81 in Rock County, Wisconsin.
Authorities had been searching Doddy since earlier this week, after he allegedly killed insurance salesman Todd Hansmeier, 37, at an office building in Rockford; then allegedly killed 44-year-old Tonya Bargman at a highway rest stop nearly 50 miles away, so he could steal her car.
Around 10:15 a.m. Friday, a police officer in Rockton, Illinois, spotted Bargman's 2013 Nissan Altima hidden in a wooded area behind the vacant Sand Trap Bar on Wagon Wheel Road in Rockton, according to Winnebago County Deputy Chief of Detectives Dominic Iasparro. As the officer was waiting for backup, Doddy sped off, headed north. A short time later, Illinois State Police spotted Doddy driving near the Wisconsin border in South Beloit, Illinois.
Winnebago County Sheriff's deputies and other local police departments joined the chase as Doddy drove into Wisconsin, then back into Illinois near Shirland, then back into Wisconsin, Iasparro said.
Police from Beloit and Rock County in Wisconsin also joined the chase, which at times reached speeds of 100 mph. Around noon, Doddy lost control of the car along Highway 81 in Rock County, and crashed into a tree, Iasparro said.
Authorities had used "stop sticks" to disable the suspect's tires.
After a short struggle with police, he was arrested and taken to Mercy Hospital in Janesville, Wisconsin, for treatment. Once released from the hospital, Doddy will be taken to the Rock County Jail, on a first-degree murder warrant from Winnebago County, and held pending extradition.
Less than a day before his capture, Doddy was spotted driving Bargman's car in Machesney Park, near Rockford.
Winnebago County Sheriff's Police Sgt. Doug Bushman said a motorist spotted Doddy in Bargman's car at the corner of Ralston Road and Illinois Route 251 in Machesney Park.
"He pulled into a gas station there, and as we had units en route, he left the gas station and went back towards the west, which is taking him into a more rural area," Bushman said.
Witnesses said Doddy sped off, and police flooded the area in an attempt to find him, but he was not spotted again until Friday morning, when the chase that led to his arrest began.
Doddy allegedly killed his good friend Todd Hansmeier on Monday, beating him to death at his office, then trying to burn his body to cover up the crime. The next day, he allegedly attacked and killed Tonya Bargman at the Willow Creek rest stop on I-39. Police have said Doddy and Bargman likely did not know each other, and he probably killed her for her car.
Police said they believe Doddy had been sleeping in a blue dome-style tent at campgrounds or other outdoor areas after the slayings.
