CHIPPEWA FALLS — A River Falls man has been sentenced to more than 10 months in jail after he was convicted of leading police on a high-speed chase that began in Lake Hallie in April and crossed through several counties.
Anthony T. Ledesma, 41, pleaded guilty last week in Chippewa County Court to fleeing or eluding an officer, which is a felony, and OWI-2nd offense.
Judge Steve Gibbs ordered nine months in jail on the fleeing conviction without Huber work release privileges, along with 40 days on the drunk-driving conviction with Huber, and those two sentences are to be served consecutively. Ledesma must pay $2,249 in court costs and fines, he must submit a DNA sample, and he must have an ignition interlock device for one year. He was given credit for 84 days already served.
According to a Lake Hallie police report, the incident began about 10:15 p.m. April 24, when an officer spotted a Chevrolet pickup parked near the front of the Aldi grocery store. The officer checked the registration, which showed the plate expired in 2011.
When the officer tried to pull the truck over near Highway 124 and Highway 53, the driver ignored it. The chase continued into Trempealeau County, where sheriff’s deputies used a tire deflation device to bring the truck to a halt.
Officers from Trempealeau and Eau Claire counties, along with the Wisconsin State Patrol, converged on the vehicle and took Ledesma into custody.
According to the release, Ledesma showed “signs of impairment and had an open bottle of whiskey in the vehicle,” which turned out to have been stolen in Milwaukee. Ledesma himself had a warrant out from California for obstructing or resisting an officer.
Ledesma refused field sobriety tests, but was taken to an area hospital for a blood draw.
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