The vehicle was still running when they found it, abandoned across from a known drug house.
On a Tuesday afternoon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, a routine retail theft report set in motion a brief but reckless chase, a trail of stolen checks, and the arrest of two men already known to the courts. Lamont Goss and Daquan Diamond, both repeat offenders, were taken into custody near a known drug house in Lake Hallie, their vehicle still running as if the day had simply paused rather than ended. What the evidence revealed was not a single impulsive act but a layered pattern of theft, deception, and unresolved legal entanglements — a reminder that the justice system often catches people mid-story, not at the beginning.
- A stolen-vehicle report escalated into a dangerous chase when the driver crossed a double-yellow line into oncoming traffic before police were forced to abandon pursuit for public safety.
- The abandoned, still-running car found outside a known drug house in Lake Hallie pointed investigators directly to two men who walked out of the building and into custody.
- Stolen checks — some already filled out in Goss's name — revealed a scheme whose victims didn't yet know they had been targeted.
- Prosecutors pushed for thousands in bail, citing repeated failures to appear and five open cases, but judges set bonds far lower: $1,000 for Diamond, $500 for Goss.
- Both men now move through a slow-turning legal system, carrying this case alongside several others already pending in multiple counties.
On a Tuesday afternoon in Eau Claire, officers spotted a vehicle tied to a retail theft and attempted a traffic stop on North Hastings Way. The driver refused, weaving recklessly through traffic — crossing a double-yellow line into oncoming cars and cutting through a parking lot — before police called off the chase for safety reasons.
The vehicle turned up shortly after in Lake Hallie, abandoned and still running across from a known drug house. Two men who emerged from the house were taken into custody: Lamont Goss, 28, and Daquan Diamond, 23. Inside the car, officers found drug paraphernalia, multiple cell phones, and hard drives.
The investigation deepened from there. Goss was already wanted on an active warrant. On his person, police found five checks belonging to two other people — checks that appeared torn from a checkbook, two of them already made out in Goss's name. Neither victim knew their checks were gone. Goss was also linked to retail thefts at Walmart in late September and Fleet Farm earlier that month. Diamond, identified as the driver, was charged with fleeing an officer and bail jumping as a repeat offender. Goss faced forgery, two counts of retail theft, concealing stolen property, and bail jumping — all as a repeat offense.
At their Thursday court appearance, prosecutors sought significant bonds given both men's histories of missed hearings and open cases. The judge set Diamond's bond at $1,000 and Goss's at $500 — well below what was requested. Both were barred from contacting each other; Goss was also prohibited from approaching the theft victims, Walmart, Fleet Farm, or Wells Fargo Bank.
Diamond's next hearing was set for November 19; Goss would not return to court until December 22. Each man carried additional pending charges in surrounding counties, their lives suspended in a legal system moving steadily, if slowly, around them.
On a Tuesday afternoon in Eau Claire, police spotted a vehicle matching the description of one involved in a retail theft. When officers tried to pull it over on North Hastings Way, the driver refused to stop. What followed was a brief, reckless chase—the vehicle passed another car on a double-yellow line with oncoming traffic, cut sharply through a parking lot, and forced police to abandon pursuit because of the dangerous driving and congestion on the road.
The vehicle was later found abandoned and still running in Lake Hallie, parked across the street from what police knew to be a drug house. Inside were drug paraphernalia, multiple cell phones, and hard drives. Two men emerged from the house and were taken into custody: Lamont Goss, 28, and Daquan Diamond, 23.
What unfolded in the criminal complaint revealed a pattern of theft and deception. Goss was arrested on an active warrant. When searched, police found five checks belonging to two other people—checks that appeared to have been hastily removed from a checkbook. Two of them had been filled out with Goss's name. Neither of the check owners knew their checks were missing. Goss was also connected to retail thefts at Walmart on September 25 and at Fleet Farm on November 5, both in Eau Claire.
Diamond, who had been driving, faced charges of fleeing an officer and bail jumping as a repeat offender. Goss faced a longer list: forgery, two counts of retail theft, concealing stolen property, and bail jumping—all charged as a repeat offense. Both men had prior criminal histories that weighed heavily on prosecutors' minds as they sought bail.
When the men appeared in Eau Claire County Circuit Court on Thursday morning, prosecutors pushed for substantial bonds. They asked for $5,000 cash for Diamond, citing his history of failing to appear in court. The judge set it at $1,000. For Goss, prosecutors sought $3,000, pointing to five open cases and previous failures to appear. The judge ordered $500. Both men were prohibited from contacting each other. Goss faced additional restrictions: he could not contact the two people whose checks were stolen, nor could he go near Walmart, Fleet Farm, or Wells Fargo Bank.
The court dates stretched ahead. Diamond was scheduled for a hearing on November 19. Goss would not appear until December 22. Beyond this case, both men carried the weight of other pending charges. Diamond faced several counts in both Chippewa and Eau Claire counties unrelated to this arrest. Goss had been charged on multiple counts in Eau Claire County and had been the subject of a warrant issued on October 14. The system was moving, but slowly, and the men remained entangled in it.
Notable Quotes
Police stopped their pursuit due to the volume of traffic and erratic driving— Eau Claire Police Department criminal complaint
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did police stop chasing them if they had a clear description and a running vehicle?
The driving was too dangerous. They passed a car on a double-yellow line with traffic coming. Cut through a parking lot erratically. In a populated area, you have to weigh catching someone against the risk to other people on the road.
And they just abandoned the car running across from a drug house?
That's what makes it interesting. Police knew that house already. When the men came out of it, they were arrested. The car itself told a story—paraphernalia, phones, hard drives. But the checks in Goss's pocket, that was the thing that stuck.
The checks seemed almost careless.
They did. Five checks, two of them already signed with his name. The owners had no idea they were gone. It reads like someone in a hurry, not thinking ahead.
Both men had prior warrants and open cases?
Yes. Goss had a warrant from October. Diamond had failures to appear in other counties. The judge knew this history. That's why prosecutors asked for higher bonds, even though the judge ultimately set them lower.
What happens now?
They wait for their hearings. Diamond in November, Goss in December. But they're already facing other charges in other cases. This one incident is just one thread in a much longer pattern.