MARQUETTE - A Monday morning car chase that led police from Chocolay Township into Alger County and reached speeds of 100 mph ended with two Wisconsin men in custody.
Tyler Voet, 18, and Christopher T. Smith, 20, are currently lodged at Marquette County Jail on Wisconsin felony warrants related to a recent breaking and entering at a game ranch.
"On Sunday, we started working with the Waushara County (Wis.) Sheriff's Department on a home invasion where numerous guns had been stolen and an undisclosed sum of cash," said Marquette Police Detective Capt. Gordon Warchock.
Authorities determined a gold 1999 Chrysler 300 had been purchased in the Upper Peninsula with the stolen cash and identified the two men as suspects in the case. Police said Voet has ties to the Marquette area and the pair had been in the vicinity for about a week.
Warchock said detectives spotted the car in Harvey and officers made a traffic stop at about 10:30 a.m. near the intersection of Silver Creek Road and U.S. 41. As police approached the vehicle, it sped off and a high-speed chase ensued.
Police pursued the vehicle south on U.S. 41 for 25 to 30 miles at sustained speeds near 100 mph, he said.
Engine problems caused the suspect vehicle to lose considerable speed, and it came to a stop on North Peterson Road, in Alger County's Limestone Township. The pair ran from the disabled car.
After a short chase, Voet, who was driving, was Tasered and apprehended by police. Warchock said Smith approached a nearby home and the owner gave him a ride to Marquette.
Police then proceeded to an apartment in south Marquette, and found Smith, along with a 15-year-old male from Wisconsin, hiding within the residence. After a search of the apartment, six of the stolen handguns, which were loaded, were found. Warchock said some of the stolen guns remain unaccounted for, but would not say how many.
Both Voet and Smith are facing Wisconsin felony warrants and Voet is also facing charges in Marquette, according to Warchock, who added Smith had a parole detainer out on him. The 15-year-old was transported to a Wisconsin juvenile detention facility.
All three suspects are believed to have been involved in the breaking and entering in Wisconsin.
There were no injuries in the chase or investigation, though a Chocolay Township police car received minor damage, according to Warchock.