Rochester Man Facing Prison Time For Fleeing From Police – Again

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A sentencing hearing is scheduled in January for a Rochester man who led law officers on a high-speed chase in April while he was on probation for previous convictions involving fleeing police and a felony drug charge.

Olmsted County Court records indicate 45-year-old Chad Raymond Briggs has agreed to enter into a plea agreement and admit to a felony count of fleeing police in a motor vehicle in exchange for the dismissal of a gross misdemeanor count of driving after cancellation-inimical to public safety. Under the plea deal, Olmsted County prosecutors will ask for a 20-month prison sentence.

According to the criminal complaint, the chase began when an Olmsted County deputy on patrol recognized Briggs as the driver of a pickup that was traveling at a slow rate of speed with license plates that did not match the vehicle. The deputy was aware that Briggs had a canceled driver's license and attempted to initiate a traffic stop on Valley High Road west of Rochester.

The deputy indicated the pickup did not stop and stated that Briggs accelerated and began driving erratically after he turned onto Olmsted County Road 5. The pursuit then entered Dodge County, where stop sticks were deployed in a failed attempt to stop the vehicle. That prompted the officers involved to call off the pursuit, but they continued tracking the pickup and arrested Briggs in West Concord.

Court records show Briggs had 8 previous convictions for driving with a canceled license in the past four years. He was given a 97-day jail sentence along with a stayed 2-year prison sentence after he was convicted of a felony fleeing police charge and a count of driving after cancellation in Freeborn County earlier this year. A felony drug conviction in Olmsted County in June also resulted in another stayed prison sentence and 5 years on probation.