Antigo man arrested after chase ends in crash on Merrill’s E. Main Street

An Antigo man suspected of stealing multiple vehicles was arrested Oct. 8, 2026, after a high-speed pursuit through Lincoln County ended with a crash on E. Main Street in Merrill, according to a media release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
A deputy suffered a serious hand injury that required surgery. The driver of a vehicle struck by the suspect had minor injuries and declined medical attention at the scene, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Joshua D. Micke, 44, was booked into the Lincoln County Jail on five felony charges: fleeing or eluding an officer causing bodily harm, operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, resisting or obstructing an officer causing substantial bodily harm, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and hit-and-run causing injury. He also faces misdemeanor charges of operating after revocation (OWI-related) and causing bodily harm by reckless driving, along with a Langlade County warrant and a Department of Corrections probation/parole warrant.
Lincoln County deputies were alerted at about 9:30 a.m. that a stolen vehicle had been involved in a high-speed pursuit earlier in the day in Shawano, Menominee, and Langlade counties, a release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said. The suspect had reportedly abandoned one stolen vehicle and taken another, which was last known to be heading toward Lincoln County on State Hwy. 64 from Antigo. The driver had been identified as an Antigo resident with warrants for his arrest.
Deputies monitored the area, using Flock Safety cameras, but found no sign the vehicle had entered the county, and it was not located at that time. A short time later, it was found abandoned at an address in northwestern Langlade County, where the suspect stole another vehicle, according to the release.

Around noon, deputies learned the suspect had at some point traveled to Minocqua, where he allegedly took about $1,000 in cash from another vehicle. Identifying information for the latest stolen vehicle was entered into Flock Safety, and just before 12:30 p.m., deputies received an alert that it had entered Lincoln County heading south on U.S. Hwy. 51 from U.S. Hwy. 8.
Deputies found the vehicle southbound on Hwy. 51 near Irma and tried to stop it, but the driver did not stop, leading to another high-speed pursuit. On County Hwy. K north of Merrill, a Merrill Police Department officer used spike strips to deflate two of the vehicle’s tires.
The vehicle continued south into Merrill and through several city streets. After turning onto E. Main Street, it struck another motorist’s vehicle. A deputy then used a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) to stop the vehicle on E. Main Street. The suspect ran from the vehicle but was caught after a short foot pursuit, the sheriff’s office said.
The Merrill Police Department assisted in the pursuit and is handling the crash reports involving the other motorist and the Sheriff’s Office squad car.