A Rochester man who allegedly led Austin police on a car chase that ended after authorities deflated his tires in neighboring Freeborn County appeared in court last week.
Marcelino Delangel, 38, appeared April 9 in Mower District Court on single felony counts of fifth-degree drug crime and fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle as well as a lesser count of driving after cancellation.
During the chase, Delangel allegedly threw a large amount of a white substance — later determined to be meth — out of his driver's window. The drugs hit the pursuing officer's windshield, making visibility difficult for him.
Judge Fred Wellmann set bail for Delangel at $500,000 without conditions or $250,000 with conditions, records show.
The bail also covered another felony case filed against Delangel from an Austin drug investigation, charging him with two counts each of second- and third-degree drug crime.
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According to the police chase criminal complaint, an Austin officer saw Delangel driving about 11:10 p.m. April 7 along Oakland Avenue West and knew there was a warrant out for his arrest. The officer tried to stop Delangel in the 1300 block of Oakland Avenue West, but Delangel kept driving and headed south on 12th Street Southwest, accelerating rapidly, the complaint says.
Delangel allegedly threw a black object out of the window in Freeborn County. The item was believed to be a pistol, but it was not recovered immediately.
Freeborn County deputies then placed stop sticks at the intersection of Freeborn County roads 32 and 1, which deflated all four tires of Delangel's vehicle. He stopped shortly thereafter and was arrested at gunpoint.
An 18-year-old woman was riding with Delangel.
Officers found meth residue and drug paraphernalia, including a bag of syringes, inside Delangel's vehicle, the complaint says.
Delangel, who returns to court April 22, has a criminal record that includes a prior conviction of second-degree drug crime from 2006 in Mower County related to meth as well as two convictions of fifth-degree drug crime from 2001 and 2003 in Mower and Nicollet counties.
State records show Delangel has been on supervised release since getting out of prison in October.
