A St. Paul man who reportedly jumped out of a stolen car while it was moving during a chase in late November pleaded guilty Tuesday in Freeborn County District Court.

Matthew Dennis Smith, 30, pleaded guilty to possessing stolen property on the day his jury trial was expected to start.

Court documents state Smith was charged after an Albert Lea police officer was informed of a suspicious vehicle at about 1:30 a.m. Nov. 30. The officer saw a vehicle in the area of Euclid Avenue and Court Street, court documents state, and noted it had no rear plates and its rear plates and its rear window was covered in snow.

The vehicle reportedly quickly accelerated and began sliding sideways after the officer activated his emergency lights in the area of Euclid and Mill Street. The vehicle turned left onto Wedgemore Drive, going over the curb as it turned, court documents state.

The driver’s door of the vehicle opened while it traveled on Wedgemore Drive, and the driver fled from the moving car, court documents state.

Smith allegedly fled into backyards on Euclid and jumped a fence at 535 Euclid Ave.

Court documents state the vehicle, valued at $6,995, was property of Southtown Motors.

Smith was charged with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, but that charge was dismissed.

In a separate file, Smith pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony assault on a corrections employee.

Sentencing on the two files is scheduled for March 15.

Freeborn County Attorney David Walker said Smith’s presumptive sentence is more than 1 1/2 years in prison for the assault and 1 1/2 years for possessing stolen property. Those sentences are expected to be concurrent.

Walker said Judge Steven Schwab ordered Smith to be sent to prison pending sentencing because of the assault, his request to be sent to prison and his expected prison sentence.

Walker said Smith would rather be sentenced to prison than be placed on probation.