Man gets probation for being nabbed with cocaine after getting stuck in bush

Dan Holtz, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·3 min read
2

Aug. 16—EAU CLAIRE — A Minnesota man will spend five years on probation for trying to evade Eau Claire police during a foot chase Christmas morning and getting stuck in a bush while running through residential yards.

The man had just been released from a Minnesota jail and had a significant amount of cocaine in his pocket, police said.

David D. Lunde, 25, of Brooklyn Center, pleaded guilty recently in Eau Claire County Court to a felony count of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.

Misdemeanor counts of resisting an officer and carrying a concealed weapon were dismissed but considered by Judge Emily Long at sentencing.

Long gave Lunde the option of spending 30 days in jail or performing 240 hours of community service.

As conditions of probation, Lunde must maintain absolute sobriety and undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and any other recommended programming or treatment.

Lunde was ordered not to drink alcohol, enter taverns or have contact with known drug dealers or users.

Lunde was also fined $518.

According to the criminal complaint:

An Eau Claire police officer was on patrol at 1:15 a.m. on Christmas Day in the area of Clairemont Avenue and Rudolph Road when he noticed a vehicle make an improper turn. The vehicle also had a burned out tail lamp and a rear bumper that was held up by a bungee cord.

The officer attempted to make a traffic stop and activated his squad car's emergency lights at Clairemont Avenue and Patton Street.

The vehicle got to East Lexington Boulevard and then sped up in an apparent attempt to flee from the officer, who then also activated his siren.

The vehicle ran a stoplight on Clairemont Avenue and turned onto Rudolph Road, where it reached speeds as high as 60 mph.

The vehicle eventually stopped at Ohm Avenue and Agnes Street, where the driver and passenger got out and fled on foot.

Both men could be seen running through residential back yards between Ohm and Valmont avenues.

An officer yelled at the male passenger to stop running. He continued to run, jumped into a bush and got stuck. The man was unable to get out of the bush on his own.

The officer pointed his pistol at the man and ordered him to show his hands and get out of the bush. The man showed his hands but said he was not able to get out of the bush. The officer grabbed the man's arms and pulled him out of the bush.

The officer placed the man in handcuffs and identified him as Lunde. The officer found a plastic bag containing 25 grams of cocaine in Lunde's pocket.

Officers searched the vehicle Lunde fled from and found an 8-inch knife.

Lunde was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire for observation and then to the Eau Claire County Jail.

At the jail, Lunde told officers he had just been released from Washington County in Minnesota, where he had been arrested for drug possession and operating while intoxicated.