After the Marquette men's soccer team finished its season Saturday, Nov. 3 with a 2-1 loss at home to Pittsburgh, head coach Louis Bennett spoke of the mental mistake made by his goalkeeper, freshman Steven Purdy, that led to the Panthers' game-winning goal.
"It's unfortunate that we made the wrong decision at the wrong time," Bennett said then. "When you are the last man, that may cost you. Our expectation is better than that."
Two days later, Purdy allegedly made another decision that cost him. According to the arrest report, a Wisconsin state trooper clocked Purdy traveling 93 mph heading eastbound on Interstate 94 in Jackson County, approximately 21 miles north of Tomah, around 2:30 a.m. Nov. 5.
According to the report, Purdy proceeded to increase the speed of his red 2006 Volkswagen Sedan once the trooper signaled for him to pull over, at times reaching 130 mph, and led the trooper on a 10-minute chase that ended on Highway 12 in Monroe County.
Purdy, a freshman in the College of Engineering, was charged with a Class I felony count of vehicle operator flee/eluding officer and three citations of speeding on a freeway in excess of 34 mph above the posted speed limit, driving the wrong way on a divided highway and failing to stop at a stop sign.
According to court documents, Purdy pleaded not guilty to all four charges. A plea hearing is set for Dec. 10 in Jackson County for the felony charge and the speeding citation. Another plea hearing is set for Dec. 11 in Monroe County for the remaining two citations.
Wisconsin statutes set the maximum jail sentence for a Class I felony at 18 months.
Prosecuting attorney Gerald R. Fox declined to comment on Purdy's case. Purdy's attorney, Daniel S. Diehn, did not return several messages left seeking comment on the case.
Stephanie Quade, Marquette senior associate dean of student development, said in an e-mail she could not comment on specific student conduct matters because of individual students' rights to privacy. She said that as a matter of practice, Marquette is not always informed about cases initiated by other law enforcement agencies.
"In those instances when we are informed, then the next decision is whether 'such behavior is believed to have an impact on the Marquette community,' as stated in (the Marquette Student Handbook)," Quade said. "In cases where we believe the university community has been affected or has an interest, the campus student conduct proceedings would proceed independently from any legal proceedings."
Mike Broeker, Marquette deputy athletic director, confirmed Purdy has been removed indefinitely from the men's soccer team. Bennett said the decision to remove Purdy from the team was made jointly between the coaching staff and the athletic department.
"We believe in second chances, but when someone oversteps that boundary by so much, we have to take action," Bennett said. "This was the best decision for all involved."
William "Billy" Von Rueden, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration and a member of the Marquette men's soccer team, was a passenger in the vehicle during the pursuit. Von Rueden was charged with party to a crime.
According to Von Rueden, all of the charges against him have been dropped. Broeker said Von Rueden's discipline is being handled "inside the program."
The arrest report stated Von Rueden said he and Purdy had traveled to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis to visit their girlfriends and were on their way back to Milwaukee when the pursuit occurred.
Wisconsin State Trooper Jason Bakken wrote in his report that he noticed the speed of Purdy's vehicle increase after Bakken began to pursue it at Mile Post 125.
"I noticed my squad speed between 125 and 130 mph," Bakken wrote. "The vehicle's distance from my squad was approximately 500-600 yds."
The report stated Bakken radioed ahead to request assistance. Trooper David McCarthy responded and proceeded to Mile Post 139, where he attempted to set up a tire deflation device. The speed of the pursuit did not allow McCarthy enough time to fully deploy the TDD. Purdy's vehicle avoided the TDD by passing from the left lane into the right lane and partially on the shoulder.
Purdy's vehicle exited I-94 at Mile Post 143, the U.S. Highway 12 exit, according to the arrest report. After passing two fully marked squad cars that had activated their emergency lights, Purdy's vehicle did not stop at the stop sign at the bottom of the ramp.
The arrest report stated Purdy's vehicle then turned west on Highway 12 and drove the wrong way on the divided highway "at a high rate of speed." Purdy's vehicle signaled and came to a stop at Cth G and Highway 12.
Both Purdy and Von Rueden were taken into custody. According to the arrest report, Purdy said he did not see the patrol car trying to stop him until he began to exit onto Highway 12. He said he was scared and decided to keep going when he saw the squad cars at the bottom of the exit ramp.
The arrest report stated Von Rueden said Purdy woke him up three to five minutes prior to exiting the interstate and advised him they were involved in a high-speed chase. Von Rueden said Purdy had previously received citations for speeding and was worried that he would lose his driver's license if he received another. Von Rueden also said he advised Purdy to stop three or four times during the pursuit.
Purdy, a native of St. Charles, Ill., declined to comment on the incident as well as on the charges brought against him. Purdy's father, Norman Purdy, also declined to comment.
Steven Purdy did say he will transfer from Marquette at the conclusion of the 2008 spring semester and will look to play collegiate soccer elsewhere.
Purdy started five of the six matches in which he played for the Golden Eagles this season. He posted a 1-4 record with a .763 save percentage.