By Janice Gregorson
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
A Claremont man faces criminal charges after allegedly leading police on a high speed chase early Monday that included going through the St. Marys Hospital emergency entrance at 74-mph.
The chase ended in rural Rochester with an officer shooting an attacking pit bull.
Adam Joseph Saxton, 26, is charged with felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and misdemeanor driving after revocation. Unconditional bail is set at $50,000 and he returns to court Dec. 8.
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According to the criminal complaint, Rochester Police Officer Andrew Gagnon tried to stop a vehicle in the area of Marion Road and 12th Street Southeast at 1:50 a.m.
Gagnon followed the swerving car to the Kwik Trip on 12th Street Southeast, where it stopped.
When Gagnon got out of his vehicle, the driver of the vehicle, identified as Saxton, stepped on his gas pedal and took off. Gagnon followed with squad lights and sirens activated. The pursuit went north on South Broadway at 40 to 50 mph, then west on Fourth Street Southwest. Saxton went through several stop signs and red lights, the complaint said. The vehicle went as high as 74 mph through the Saint Marys Hospital emergency entrance before getting onto Second Street Southwest, and taking several other roads through residential areas until getting onto U.S. 14 headed towards Byron.
Officers placed stop sticks in the fast lane of the highway at 60th Avenue. When Saxton’s vehicle hit the stop sticks traveling at 85 mph, it went out of control, going from the left shoulder to the right shoulder and almost hitting a telephone pole. Saxton’s vehicle came to a stop at the bottom of the ditch in the road median. Saxton got out of the truck and grabbed at his waistband as if trying to get a gun or object, the complaint said.
"Come on! Come on!" Saxton yelled, according to officers. A second officer on the scene, Tim Hagen, ordered Saxton to get down on the ground, but Saxton ignored those commands.
Gagnon then noticed Saxton pointing his pit bull at him. The pit bull began to charge Gagnon, who had his weapon drawn.
Hagen yelled for Saxton to call back his dog, but the dog continued to run toward Gagnon, the complaint said. Gagnon shot one round into the dog and the dog ran into the woods. Saxton was subdued by stun gun by a state trooper who also was at the scene. Officers tried to locate the wounded pit bull without success.
Saxton was placed under arrest. A preliminary breath test showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.015; the legal limit is 0.8.
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The complaint said he has two pending charges in Dodge County for fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, both from alleged incidents in 2005.
