Stoker refused to turn himself in

<p dir="ltr"><span>Jason Michael Stoker was given a chance to do the right thing.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>According to court documents released to media on Thursday by Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker, an investigator from the Illinois State Police had a phone conversation with Stoker on Oct. 29 - the day after the accident that fatally injured Chester police officer and volunteer firefighter James Brockmeyer.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>During that conversation, Stoker was advised of the warrant for his arrest on the alleged charge of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"The defendant refused to turn himself in," Walker wrote in a petition to the court to increase Stoker's bail, currently set at $250,000.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Now, Stoker faces an additional charge of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude (both Class 4 felonies), along with one count of reckless homicide (Class 2 felony punishable by three to 14 years in prison) and first-degree murder (Class X felony punishable by 20 to 60 years in prison).</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"The Defendant's actions in fleeing this jurisdiction indicate he is not likely to comply with the terms and conditions of bond in this matter and the Defendant has already taken flight from the jurisdiction on one occasion," Walker wrote in the documents.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"Finally, the additional charges create an increased likelihood of flight from the jurisdiction."</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Stoker, of Chester, has a court appearance scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. on the State's motion to increase bail, as well as a status to an attorney. He appeared in front of Associate Circuit Court Judge Gene Gross Thursday morning on the new charges.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>"Mr. Stoker indicated he is trying to hire an attorney," Walker said in an email to local media.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Stoker was captured in the late afternoon hours of Nov. 1 in St. Louis after a four-day manhunt that included multiple agencies. The number and type of those agencies has not been released.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>He was booked into St. Louis's City Justice Center, where he remained until he was returned to Randolph County yesterday by sheriff's office deputies.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Brockmeyer, 22, was laid to rest on Nov. 4, with more than 85 law enforcement, fire and emergency service agencies paying their respects at his funeral services in Chester.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>He was only 10 months into his career as a police officer, a longtime dream of his.</span>

<p dir="ltr"><span>The Herald Tribune will have more coverage of the case in next week's print edition.</span>