Police: Man attempted to elude police

A Cumberland man is accused of attempting to elude an officer by allegedly leading police on a chase around the city of Rice Lake and eventually through the countryside at high speeds.

Jacob C. Pedersen, 22, was charged on Monday in Barron County Circuit Court with felony attempting to flee or elude an officer, an offense that could net him a fine of up to $10,000 and six years in prison if he is convicted. He is free on a $2,500 signature bond and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 29.

According to the criminal complaint, at approximately 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 10 a Rice Lake police officer spotted Pedersen driving south on Haugen Avenue at a speed estimated to be above the 35 mph posted speed limit. The vehicle failed to come to a complete stop at Hammond Avenue, slowly driving past the stop sign.

The officer considered Pedersen’s driving behavior to be suspicious and it appeared as though he drove around a block to avoid driving past another officer.

The truck drove around streets on Rice Lake’s north side in the vicinity of Wisconsin Avenue, and at some points the officer lost sight of him.

The officer saw Pedersen driving west on Allen Street at an estimated 50 mph in a posted 35 mph speed zone as he passed West Avenue.

The officer drove westbound on 20th Avenue in an attempt to catch up to the truck, which was now near the entrance to Turtleback Golf Course. He said he was driving at a speed of approximately 100 mph as he attempted to catch up to the truck before it turned northbound on 18th Avenue.

The officer continued northbound paralleling the truck at a speed of 90 mph. When the officer was approximately three blocks behind the truck it slowed down at Highway 48. The truck continued traveling northbound on 18th Avenue until it came to a stop approximately one-quarter mile north of the highway.

The officer conducted a high risk traffic stop and took Pedersen into custody.

Pedersen said he did not see or hear the emergency lights and siren on the patrol car until he came to a stop, but the officer reported the distance from Allen Street at West Avenue and the location of the traffic stop north of Highway 48, when he was pursuing the truck with both the emergency lights and siren on his squad car activated, is approximately 2¼ miles.

While speaking with the defendant, the officer smelled a strong odor of intoxicants coming from his breath, and he was issued multiple citations, including a citation for first-offense Operating While Intoxicated.