OLIVIA, Minn. - A high-speed chase Monday stretched across three counties, breaking speeds of 110 mph, only to end when the driver crashed his vehicle and overturned in a drainage ditch.
Now, the Redwood Falls man accused of leading a Renville County sheriff’s sergeant on the 70-mile jaunt has been charged in Renville County District Court with fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and reckless driving. Jacob Kelly Leith, 21, was charged at a hearing Wednesday. He has pleaded not guilty to the felony and misdemeanor charges.
The criminal complaint says a sheriff’s sergeant first noticed Leith’s vehicle when it “accelerated aggressively.” The officer also noticed a broken tail light and the chase ensued.
The chase came to a close when Leith lost traction on a gravel road and crashed into a drainage ditch, fully submerging the front of the vehicle and part of the back.
The office was able to rescue Leith and a female passenger from the overturned vehicle.
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Leith and the passenger were treated and released from the hospital with no apparent injuries.
Leith will make his next appearance at a hearing May 6 in Renville County District Court.
