A Lakeville Police officer claims that he ran a license plate check of a vehicle that was heading north on Cedar Avenue around 12:30 p.m. August 3. The officer says that records indicated that the owner of the car had a cancelled driver’s license. The officer claims that the person driving the car looked like the description of the owner contained in the records.
The officer pulled over the car and reportedly approached the vehicle. The driver apparently presented a driver’s license, which police reportedly ran through the computer. The officer says that upon returning to the stopped vehicle, the driver said “catch me if you can,” according to Apple Valley-Rosemount Patch. Authorities claim the driver then fled the traffic stop in his motor vehicle.
It appears that law enforcement did not find the driver for hours. Authorities say that police found the alleged driver at his home, just before 8:00 in the morning. Police arrested the man on suspicion of fleeing police in a motor vehicle and driving after suspension-inimical to public safety. Minnesota law makes fleeing police in a motor vehicle a felony-level offense, while a DAC-IPS charge is gross misdemeanor-level offense.
Police claim that the man spoke while being arrested. Authorities claim that the man admitted fleeing police. Police assert that the man said that he was drunk when he was pulled over and did not want to go back to prison in explaining way he allegedly ran.
Law enforcement booked the Rosemount, Minnesota man into the Dakota County Jail. Bail was reportedly set at $80,000. The man reportedly has his next court appearance scheduled for August 29.
Source: Apple Valley-Rosemount Patch, “Repeat DWI Offender Tells Police ‘Catch Me If You Can’ Before Attempting to Escape Traffic Stop,” Allison Wickler, Aug. 10, 2012
