Mattoon Resident in Crash While Fleeing Police Dies

The Mattoon resident injured July 26 in a crash while fleeing police has died.

20-year-old Blake Bolen was wanted on a Coles County warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of methamphetamine possession. Bolen was spotted by a resident who notified police. When police approached Bolen while he was stopped in a vehicle at a Mattoon business, Bolen fled the scene. A chase followed north on US Route 45 out of Mattoon. Bolen's vehicle collided with a railway vehicle in the railway vehicle's lane of traffic.

Bolen was airlifted to Carle Hospital in Urbana. He died at 3:44 Sunday morning.

Mattoon police asked State police to investigate the crash since Mattoon officers were involved in the pursuit.