Spirit Lake, IA (Northwestiowanow.com) — Spirit Lake police have filled in some more details about Friday’s high-speed chase. Chief Shane Brevik tells us that one of his officers stopped a Nissan Sentra with improper license plates on 36th Street near Sunner Avenue for a stop sign violation just before 7pm. A female passenger exited the vehicle, and the driver took off at a high rate of speed turning North on Erie Avenue and then East on Highway 9 and 71, then North to Jackson on 71.
21-year-old Samuel Origer Jr. of Estherville avoided stop sticks just South of Jackson, but lost control around the curve when he entered town and struck another vehicle that was stopped at the intersection.
Officials from Spirit Lake, Jackson County, and the Minnesota State Patrol are all working on the case.
Brevik says his department has filed counts of: Eluding, 6 counts of failure to obey stop signs, 7 counts of excessive speed, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, 2 counts of passing on the wrong side, failure to maintain control, no valid driver’s license, fraudulent use of registration, and driving without insurance.
Initial reports indicated Origer was from Colorado. The Jackson County Sheriff’s department says both Origer and the other driver – 38-year-old Matthew Bezdieck of Jackson were treated at the local hospital for non-incapacitating injuries.