Sex offender sentenced for high-speed chase

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WOODSTOCK - An Island Lake sex offender who led Crystal Lake police on a high-speed chase last summer was sentenced to two years of intensive probation Tuesday.

Jermaine Pugh, 21, of 115 Janet Drive, pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and failure to register as a sex offender. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped several lesser charges.

Pugh, who has been in jail for almost a year while his case was pending, also was sentenced to 130 hours of public service, 90 days of electronic monitoring, and $1,161 in restitution. Probation officers can, at their discretion, increase the public service hours to 200 and the electronic monitoring to 120 days.

McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather warned Pugh that prosecutors could have him re-sentenced if he violated the intensive probation. He could be sentenced to between two and five years in prison for the more serious charge.

“If you violate it, you’ve already got one foot in prison, and that’s where you’re going to end up,” Prather said.

Pugh was wanted on a McHenry County warrant for not properly registering as a sex offender in January 2008 when a Crystal Lake patrol officer saw him nearly cause an accident on July 8, authorities said. The officer began following him and Pugh ran several stop signs as he drove 60 or 70 mph is a 30 mph residential zone.

Pugh jumped out of his car as it was going 10 or 15 mph on Coventry Lane near Ladd Park and fled on foot, police said. The car slammed into a tree, and Pugh was later found in a friend’s basement.