Chatfield Man Sentenced to Probation For 2 Police Pursuits

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Chatfield man who was charged with leading local law enforcement on two high-speed chases earlier this year has worked out a plea agreement that will allow him to avoid prison.

43-year-old Jason Dean Batt has entered guilty pleas to two felony counts of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. In exchange, Olmsted County prosecutors dropped two misdemeanor traffic offenses for driving after revocation and reckless driving.

Court records show one of the felony charges stemmed from a police chase that occurred in April when an Olmsted County Sheriff's Deputy attempted to pull over a vehicle in Byron after observing an air freshener and pair of glasses hanging from the rearview mirror. The criminal complaint says the driver sped away and drove recklessly by failing to yield to traffic and rounding corners around buildings at a high rate of speed, prompting the deputy to call off the pursuit.

The charges state that another Deputy obtained information that indicated Batt was the driver of the vehicle and obtained a search warrant for the location of his cell phone on the day of the pursuit. The criminal complaint says the phone pinged in the precise area of the pursuit at the time of the pursuit.

The second case involved a chase in June that started after a Rochester Police officer attempted to stop Batt after observing him driving a pickup with a canceled driver's license. It was alleged that Batt fled at a high rate of speed and nearly struck another vehicle at the Kwik Trip store on Marion Road southeast. The officer also witnessed the pickup going through a red light.

The officer was able to track Batt to a residential neighborhood off Marion Road where he allegedly sped toward marked squad cars with their emergency lights activated, forcing one of the officers to back up to avoid being rammed by the pickup. It was also alleged that he drove across a yard while making his temporary escape. The court document indicates Batt was located and arrested the next day in St. Charles.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Batt was given stayed prison sentences totaling 17 months and was placed on probation for five years.