3/13/12 – A Minnesota man who allegedly led police on a traffic pursuit through two counties early Sunday morning was in Dodge County court for an Initial Appearance Monday. Steven Persinger
of St. James, Minnesota is charged with felony Fleeing an Officer and misdemeanor Obstruction. According to the criminal complaint, the 25-year-old is in the process of moving back to Wisconsin and was at his storage unit when he was observed by Randolph police, who say they found his being at a storage unit at 1am suspicious. The arresting officer reportedly took up to a half-hours time to verify that Persinger had two outstanding Columbia County arrest warrants. During that time, Persinger was said to be agitated by the delay. When the officer received confirmation on the warrants and asked him to exit the vehicle, Persinger reportedly closed the window, lit a cigarette and made a telephone call. He then drove out of the parking lot, stopping at stop signs, driving the speed limit, using his turn signal and operating in the correct lane of traffic. Fall River police eventually laid down road spikes and popped a tire bringing his vehicle to a stop. Authorities then executed a high-risk traffic stop with guns drawn. Persinger is said to have remained on the phone until finally surrendering without further incident. When informed that he had just possibly committed a felony, Persinger was reportedly surprised, saying when he (quote) “ran from police in Minnesota it was just a misdemeanor.”
