By Sara Quam
Rock County Law Enforcement was involved in the three-state car chase that ended in a crash at the Minnesota-Iowa state border south of Luverne Tuesday.
The incident started states away from Rock County, though.
Chad Kersten, 30, stole a car in New Mexico and ended up picking up two hitch hikers in Rapid City, S.D. Tuesday evening he was in Sioux Falls, S.D., weaving through traffic when officers tried to pull him over.
He was trying to avoid police and drove at high speeds - up to 100 miles per hour - for 30 miles.
During the chase he was throwing heroin out of the car window and after the crash, police found more drug paraphernalia in the car.
Rock County officers got involved when they were alerted by the South Dakota State Patrol. Kersten came into Rock County off the Beaver Creek exit on County Road 4. He drove into Luverne on South Highway 75 for a time at speeds up to 70 miles per hour.
He continued on Highway 75 until Iowa police officers were able to stop the car by using a tire-deflating device, which Kersten had managed to avoid at other points during the chase.
The three passengers were wearing seatbelts and not seriously hurt. Kersten faces charges in four states.