NEWS

Why did man lead police on 125-mph chase? He was late for work

McLean Bennett
Sheboygan Press
Zachary R. Aschenbach

SHEBOYGAN - A 25-year-old Sheboygan man accused of leading law enforcement officers last week on a high-speed chase told authorities he was running late for work and feared he would lose his job.

Zachary Ryan Aschenbach is facing a single felony charge of attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer in connection with the highway pursuit last Wednesday that covered about three miles and reached estimated speeds of higher than 125 mph.

According to a criminal complaint filed Monday, the vehicle — variously clocked between 100 and 125 mph at different spots in both Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties — followed Interstate 43 south before taking an exit ramp onto State 23 near Kohler.

The vehicle pulled away from a Sheboygan County sheriff’s vehicle, which had recorded its own speed at 125 mph, according to the complaint. Officers eventually lost sight of the car.

They picked up the trail again after finding the vehicle crashed near a highway off-ramp — preceded by about 215 feet of skid marks. The keys were still in the ignition, per the complaint, but the operator had fled by the time officers arrived.

Aschenbach, eventually taken into custody, told a Sheboygan County sheriff’s deputy he was speeding because he’d been running late for work and would lose his job.