On August 20th, 2014, around 7:30 PM Boone County Sheriff Deputy Robert Rosenkranz was on patrol looking for a vehicle that was used in an armed robbery of U.S. Cellular in Belvidere.
The reports were that two men entered the store, tied the employees up and stole from the cash register before they went out to their driver in a white Pontiac.
Rosenkranz spotted the Pontiac, did a u turn and initiated a high speed chase that reached speeds over 110 MPH. The chase lasted over six minutes going through country and city roads eventually going into CherryVale.
The deputy said he would have continued the chase into Wisconsin, even Minnesota, if he didn’t receive a call from his supervisor to terminate.
As it headed into CherryVale now Belvidere, and CherryVale cops joined the pursuit before it came to a fatal end just outside the entrance to the CherryVale Mall.
The Pontiac crashed into Karen Williams’ Honda Civic that was leaving the mall.
A week later, she died due to the injuries she sustained in the crash.
Karen was 42 years old at the time originally from Taiwan but raised in Rockford. She worked as a corporate lawyer in Rockford.
The Winnebago Boone County Integrity Task Force investigated and justified this incident.