Suspect in Custody After High-Speed Chase

At approximately 3 p.m. on May 15, the Big Stone County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a black Cadillac passenger vehicle coming from Milbank at a high rate of speed. A Big Stone County deputy located the suspect vehicle, which was speeding and driving erratically, in the City of Ortonville.

According to the Big Stone County Sheriff, Mark Brown, the deputy activated his emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop, but the suspect vehicle accelerated. The deputy pursued the vehicle southbound on Highway 75 from Ortonville. The suspect’s vehicle reached speeds in excess of 140 miles per hour. The deputy lost sight of the suspect vehicle and terminated the pursuit.

Brown says, “The suspect vehicle was later located in Chippewa County, Minnesota, where it became engaged in another chase. The suspect vehicle also was not stopped during this pursuit and was later located in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. Officials apprehended the suspect, and he was booked into the Kandiyohi County Jail, pending charges from multiple
jurisdictions.”

On Tuesday, May 17, Joshua Hentz, 36, of Hankinson, North Dakota, appeared in Big Stone County Court. He was charged with: Fleeing a Peace Officer in a Motor Vehicle, a felony; Reckless Driving, a misdemeanor; Driving Consciously Disregarding a Substantial or Unjustifiable Risk, a misdemeanor; and Speeding – Exceeding Limit 141 mph in a  60-mph. zone, a petty misdemeanor. Bond was set at $30,000 without conditions or $15,000 with conditions. Hentz remains incarcerated in the Kandiyohi County Jail. His next court appearance is set for May 23.