UPDATE: by Emily Welker, 4:55 p.m. 2/10/12
Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist says he doesn't have the kind of deputies who always get their man.
And it turns out -- he's okay with that.
"That was one of the things, was capturing them worth someone else getting hurt," says the sheriff in his Moorhead office Friday afternoon. It's now more than twelve hours after his deputy pulled the plug on a high-speed chase that took him and other officers through the streets of Moorhead, Dilworth, and rural Clay County. They were following a stolen car the deputy had spotted being driven through a busy Moorhead intersection about ten p-m Thursday. When the deputy tried to get the driver of the white 2006 Nissan Pathfinder to pull over, it took off south on 35th street and into a residential area, cutting through back yards to elude him. It didn't stop there -- in fact, it didn't stop for another eight or so minutes. All, conducted at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.
Bergquist and other law enforcement officers say for every routine traffic stop that turns into a chase, there's a different set of criteria.
Highway patrol has more practice at high speeds, so they're more comfortable making the decision to give a high-speed chase. Also, their role is usually to take the lead on chases over the interstate, and they hand over jurisdiction to city police in residential areas. So their chases may continue, when city police chases will not.
"If it was a felony, something dangerous, you're going to go further than what happened here," says Bergquist. He says this stolen-car case doesn't rise to the level of a more serious violent felony -- so it doesn't make sense to put members of the public at risk to arrest the suspect.
Also, this chase went not just into residential roads, but also into rural ones. That took out the potential for stop sticks -- too many turns, and pit maneuvers -- too few cars.
Bergquist says in this case, he trusts his deputy. After all, the deputy had the guidance of his supervisor to tell him if he should stop the pursuit, since it's standard to have a supervisor monitor the situation. And it's not a bad coincidence the deputy is the one who does driving training for the department.
"Yes, it would be nice if we had caught him. But with the experience of the deputy telling him the risk was not worth taking, I'd agree with it," he says.
And -- in any car chase -- they know he's got to stop sometime.
Police in the Fargo-Moorhead area are on the lookout for the driver of a stolen SUV who led a Clay County Deputy on a high-speed chase Thursday night.
Police say it started around 10 PM when the deputy noticed a white 2006 Nissan Pathfinder that had been reported stolen from Fargo.
The deputy tried to pull the driver over near Highway 10 and 34th Street in Moorhead, but he wouldn't stop.
Clay County Sheriff's Department Officials say the chase traveled though Moorhead, Dilworth and rural Clay County. It reached speeds of 90 to 100 miles and twice the driver of the stolen SUV drove through backyards to get back on the road.
After about 8 minutes the deputy decided the chase was to risky to the public so he called it off. The vehicle was last spotted driving west into Fargo.
If you see the vehicle your asked to call the Clay County Sheriff's Department or your local police.
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