The Rock County Sheriff’s Office was involved last weekend in a slow-speed pursuit that ended with a spin-out on I-90 near the South Dakota rest area.
According to Sheriff Evan Verbrugge, the incident began 12:18 a.m. Sunday when a deputy stopped a motorist in Luverne for no left brake light and failing to use a turn signal.
The driver, later identified as Zachary Dietz, 50, Luverne, reportedly refused to stop for the squad car lights and siren and instead left town on I-90 westbound.
The Minnesota State Patrol assisted with stop sticks, holding up westbound traffic in the process.
Dietz drove over the sticks and continued driving with a flat tire before stopping just west of the Beaver Creek exit.
According to the report, law enforcement approached Dietz, but he refused to exit the vehicle and drove off again. The vehicle was a gold Pontiac Grand Prix with South Dakota plates.
The next time he stopped, officers broke the driver’s window and noticed Dietz had a knife to his neck.
When he again drove off, a State Trooper used a maneuver to spin out the Pontiac, which came to stop at the South Dakota rest area on I-90.
With assistance from the South Dakota State Patrol, Dietz was arrested without further incident at 1:18 a.m.
Dietz at first wouldn’t identify himself and is now facing charges of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, obstructing legal process, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He is being held in the Nobles County Jail until his court appearance.