Crime briefs

After chase, officers catch Perham man suspected of exposing himself to girl

ALEXANDRIA, Minn. - A man suspected of burglarizing a house in Nelson and later exposing himself outside the Target store in Alexandria was arrested after a chase Tuesday night, Feb. 7.

A news release from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office identified the suspect as Jason Dennis Maloney, 40, of Perham.

The chase began after a teenage girl reported a man exposing himself in a vehicle in the Target parking lot just before 8 p.m. The girl drove away but the suspect followed in a Ford Explorer. The girl provided a license plate number, which matched one given earlier in the day by a man in Nelson reporting a burglary, the sheriff's office said.

Law enforcement arrived at Target and chased the Explorer onto a frontage road.

The Explorer entered a gas station parking lot and then drove over the curb to another parking lot before fleeing from Douglas County deputies and Alexandria police. The fastest speed during the pursuit was 52 mph.

A Douglas County deputy performed a pursuit intervention technique - also known as a PIT maneuver - to stop the Explorer. When Maloney was removed from the vehicle, he resisted being handcuffed and attempted to run away.

Maloney is in the Douglas County Jail pending review of the case and potential charges.

Charges: Man drove drunk through bank wall in northwest Minnesota

A Fertile, Minn., man has been arrested on drunk driving charges after investigators said he drove a car through a bank wall early Friday and caused "heavy damage" to the building.

The Polk County Sheriff's Department responded at 12:42 a.m. to Ultima Bank at 9 Minnesota Ave. in Winger, where a 2006 Chevy Impala was driven into the east side of the building. Deputies determined Trent Kenneth Vesledahl, 20, was driving the vehicle when it hit the building, causing "heavy damage to the wall," according to a news release.

Vesledahl appeared Monday in Polk County District court on two third-degree gross misdemeanor charges of driving while impaired. His next court hearing is Feb. 28.

The crash remains under investigation. Winger is 40 miles southeast of Crookston.

Driver wakes up, leads authorities on high-speed chase

A driver found sleeping in his vehicle on Interstate 94 Friday morning, Feb. 10, led officers on a chase that topped 110 mph through Douglas and Pope counties.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office identified the suspect as Aaron Raymond Dombovy, 24, of Moorhead. Dombovy was arrested after his vehicle was stopped using spike strips.

The chase started after a deputy responded to a report of a vehicle parked in the right lane of Interstate 94 at 6:09 a.m.

Dombovy was found sleeping in the driver's seat. When asked, Dombovy moved the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway and was then asked to exit the vehicle and was interviewed briefly.

As the deputy and Dombovy were walking toward the patrol vehicle, the suspect ran to his car and fled west. The vehicle was chased through the Burgen Lake Rest Area east of Alexandria and then back onto I-94.

At that time, the Minnesota State Patrol joined the chase, which continued west and into Alexandria before turning south.

During the chase, the suspect was sometimes driving in the oncoming driving lanes and at speeds reaching speeds of 113 mph.

State Patrol said the pursuit lasted about 20 minutes.

Dombovy is being held in the Douglas County Jail on pending felony charges of fleeing a peace a officer and possessing a controlled substance.

MUG

Paynesville man charged with apartment fire arson

Stearns County authorities on Thursday charged a 27-year-old Paynesville man with two felony counts of first-degree arson in connection with the Tuesday fire at his Paynesville apartment complex that displaced 40 people.

Sue Lee made his first appearance Thursday in Stearns County District Court. He is in custody at the Stearns County Jail.

Authorities say Lee showed up at his sister's home unannounced at 7 a.m. Tuesday, then left. He allegedly told her he had started his house on fire.

She called 911 to report the strange conversation. Meanwhile, the Paynesville and Lake Henry Fire Departments were battling a large fire at the Paynesville Place Apartments, where Lee lived.

The fire had originally been reported by an apartment resident around 4 a.m., according to the criminal complaint on the charges. That resident told police that he had witnessed a neighbor put a dog in a car about a half hour prior, then re-enter the apartment complex with a can of gasoline.

Paynesville police officers tracked Lee to Brooklyn Park. Officers there located him around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at a residence and arrested him.