A Minnesota state trooper claims that a vehicle was swerving from side to side while traveling on 494 in Eagan during the early morning March 18. Authorities claim the alleged observation started a string of events that ended with a Bloomington man facing felony fleeing and driving while impaired charges.
The trooper says the vehicle took off after the officer apparently attempted a traffic stop. Law enforcement claims that the trooper began a pursuit that wound its way through Bloomington to 35W.
The State Patrol alleges that the driver reached speeds as high as 100 mph as the car chase continued south to the County Road 29 exit in Lakeville. Somewhere in Lakeville, authorities claim the driver of the vehicle threw a bottle from the car, and then abandoned the vehicle to continue fleeing on foot.
The State Patrol says that they used a K-9 to locate the alleged driver. Law enforcement asserts that the driver refused to perform a roadside breath test, and later refused to provide an implied consent blood or urine sample. The Dakota County Attorney’s office has reportedly filed a string of criminal charges against the 38-year-old Bloomington man.
Prosecutors claim the man has two prior felony DWIs on his record and that his license was canceled in 2005.
Generally, running away from a police officer on foot during a police encounter can lead to a criminal charge in Minnesota. When police allege that a driver has fled from police in a motor vehicle, Minnesota law potentially treats the allegations more harshly, and allows prosecutors to seek a felony level charge.
The Bloomington man faces two separate counts for fleeing police after the allegations that arose March 18. Prosecutors accuse the man of first-degree driving while impaired, one felony count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and one misdemeanor count of fleeing on foot and other charges after the alleged encounter with law enforcement.
The accused is reportedly being held on $200,000 bail at the Dakota County Jail. He is reportedly scheduled to appear in court April 17.
Source: Eagan Patch, “100 MPH Police Pursuit Begins in Eagan, Ends in Lakeville,” David Henke, Mar. 27, 2012
