Man pleads guilty to DUI, fleeing cops

Published 11:13 pm Friday, February 2, 2018

An Oakland man who led officers on a vehicle chase that reached speeds of more than 100 mph last August pleaded guilty Friday in Freeborn County District Court.

Jason Steven Allen

Jason Steven Allen, 36, pleaded guilty to two felonies, first-degree driving while intoxicated and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

Court documents state Allen was charged after a Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office deputy a little after midnight Aug. 28 traveling south on Freeborn County Road 34 saw a speeding vehicle with a driver’s side headlight that was not working.

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After the deputy reportedly caught up to the vehicle and activated his emergency lights, the vehicle accelerated, turning west on 170th Street and striking a deer. Court documents state the vehicle continued, traveling 75 to 80 mph on gravel and more than 100 mph on Freeborn County Road 19.

The vehicle continued to evade the deputy, making multiple turns onto different roads, before going into a ditch on the south side of 190th Street. Allen reportedly exited the vehicle and ran toward a corn field, but was caught and arrested before he entered the field.

He had a .10 blood alcohol content at 1:43 a.m. that morning.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 12. Allen’s presumptive sentence is prison.

Allen was charged with first-degree driving while intoxicated and gross misdemeanor driving after cancellation, but those charges were dismissed. 

About Sam Wilmes

Sam Wilmes covers crime, courts and government for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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