Rosemount man charged after Tuesday pursuit in Blue Earth County
Feb. 22—MANKATO — A Rosemount man faces felony charges after reportedly leading police on a pursuit Tuesday morning through Blue Earth County in a stolen van.
Devon Christopher Martinez, 25, was charged with two felonies for receiving stolen property and fleeing police and three misdemeanors for driving after revocation, reckless driving and speeding Wednesday in Blue Earth County District Court.
A State Patrol dispatch reported a driver was going about 100 mph on Highway 60 near Madelia at about 7:30 a.m. in a "fresh" stolen vehicle that was reportedly taken in Jackson County, according to a criminal complaint. A Blue Earth County sheriff's deputy located the vehicle, a white Chrysler Pacifica minivan, in the county and measured its speed at 98 mph.
The deputy reportedly pursued the vehicle into Mankato, with the van going up to 110 mph before going 90 mph by Land of Memories Park and between 90 and 100 mph on Riverfront Drive.
The van driver ran over "stop sticks" north of Veterans Memorial Bridge, leading to the driver's side tires starting to run flat as it ran through a red light. Law enforcement used multiple "PITs," or precision immobilization techniques, to eventually stop the vehicle.
Martinez reportedly had a burnt pieces of foil and a straw with burnt ends in his pocket. The deputy said Martinez told him that he stole the vehicle, according to the complaint.
A search warrant was used to obtain a sample of Martinez's blood, which was sent to Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for analysis.
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