By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
After two weeks on the run, federal authorities were able to take a Twin Lakes woman accused of felony charges into custody in Las Vegas Wednesday, courtesy of a local tip given to a Detective.
Sheree Ann Shaw, 45, is accused of aggravated driving under the influence causing death stemming from a two-vehicle crash in McHenry, Illinois that claimed the life of Amy Thornton on May 6.
According to a press release, Shaw had been allegedly under the influence of heroin when she drove northbound in a Ford Taurus, striking Thornton and her husband, who was operating a Harley Davidson Road Glide.
Initially, Shaw only faced a charge of driving without a valid license, but when Thornton died from her injuries on May 15, prosecutors tacked on the felony charge on May 20.
After McHenry Police failed to locate Shaw in Twin Lakes, they sought help from US Marshals, who took her into custody on May 26 and transported her to the Walworth County Jail in Elkhorn.
The following day, Shaw was released on $2,500 bond.
McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Combs declined to comment on the Walworth County decision in a phone interview Thursday.
However, when Shaw failed to appear at the June 7 hearing, authorities issued a warrant for her arrest.
Following two weeks of searching, a Twin Lakes Police Detective received a tip from a local resident, and referred it to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department, according to Twin Lakes Police Chief Adam Grosz.
“While working on an unrelated investigation, our Detective Katie Hall, gained some information from someone in town that Ms. Shaw may be in Las Vegas,” Grosz stated. “She passed that information on to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department.”
According to the Twin Lakes call blotter, Twin Lakes Police attempted to serve Shaw a warrant Tuesday.
“They followed up on it and found her,” Grosz said. “That is the only involvement that our agency had in this latest development.”
“Ms. Shaw was arrested in Las Vegas (Wednesday) and is in custody,” Combs said. “The state’s attorney’s office will extradite her to Illinois for prosecution.”
While Shaw sits in a Las Vegas jail, Combs doubts they will release her on bond, citing her history of eluding authorities in two states.
“She is a fugitive of justice, so she won’t be let out on bond,” said Combs, who requested a Governor’s Warrant, ordering her return to Illinois within 30 days.
According to online court records, Shaw had been scheduled to appear in Walworth County Circuit Court Friday.
“I don’t know what Wisconsin is going to do, but we want her in Illinois,” Combs said.