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Man shot by officers near Milaca charged with fleeing, burglary
ST. CLOUD (AP) - A Willmar man who was shot by law enforcement officers after leading them on a chase earlier this week has been charged with burglary and fleeing peace officers.
Stearns County prosecutors charged George Francis Walley, 28, on Wednesday with first-degree burglary with a dangerous weapon, first-degree burglary in an occupied structure and the flight charge.
State Patrol Lt. Mark Peterson said more charges were pending.
The criminal complaint alleges that Walley entered a Paynesville home at 2 a.m. Monday and approached the homeowners with a small caliber semiautomatic gun.
Walley hit one homeowner in the chest with the gun and held the occupants against their will. He left in the residents vehicle and was later spotted in Waite Park.
The complaint said an officer tried to stop the vehicle, but it sped away on Minnesota Highway 23 through St. Cloud, reaching speeds of 100 mph and running red lights. Several police agencies joined the chase.
The Patrol has said the chase ended near Milaca in Mille Lacs County when a trooper used a maneuver designed to spin out a fleeing suspects vehicle. It was there that Walley was shot.
The complaint said Walley would not respond to officers commands and that public safety was at risk if he was not arrested. Walley was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale. He was in serious condition there Thursday, said hospital spokesman Robert Prevost.
The Patrol has said that four of its troopers and two Mille Lacs County deputies have been put on routine administrative leave in connection with the shooting. The troopers are Robyn Birr, Jason Groh, James Kotten and Jeffrey Schroepfer.
Mille Lacs County Sheriff Brent C. Lindgren did not immediately return a call Thursday seeking the status of the deputies from his department who were put on leave.
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