Man charged with fleeing police, DWI

A Cromwell man is facing multiple charges after fleeing police in the early hours of Saturday morning in a high-speed chase.

David John Aho, 20, is charged with felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor charges of driving while impaired, two counts of criminal vehicular operation, minor consumption and speeding.

According to the criminal complaint, Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputies were on patrol at 2:04 a.m. Saturday, March 13 when they clocked a care driving 71 mph in a 60-mph zone on Highway 210. The driver turned onto Gisler Road and began to accelerate away from the deputies, and increased speed to 90 mph after the deputies activated their lights and siren.

Deputies discontinued their pursuit but soon after got a call about an accident just up the road. A silver pickup truck — similar to the one they’d been chasing — was in the ditch.

They found a man and woman in the truck; neither of them could get out until first responders arrived and helped them.

The woman admitted to drinking that night and said that’s why she wasn’t driving. Deputies allegedly smelled alcohol on the breath of Aho, the driver, and “could discern numerous indicators of alcohol use and impairment.”

According to the complaint, law enforcement then had Aho perform several standardized field sobriety tests which indicated impairment. A roadside preliminary breath test allegedly revealed a 0.158 alcohol concentration, almost twice the legal limit of 0.08.

Aho appeared in court virtually Tuesday. He was ordered to get a chemical dependency evaluation. An omnibus hearing is set for May 5.

— Jana Peterson, Pine Knot News