High-Speed Chase Through Stearns County Ends in Swampy Surrender

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Two people are jailed after leading authorities on a high-speed chase through Stearns County early Tuesday.

The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says they were called in to assist the State Patrol on a driving complaint on I-94. The vehicle, a Jeep Wrangler, was reported stolen out of Fargo.

A St. Joseph Police officer spotted the vehicle near the St. Joseph exit and began coordinating with other units to conduct a traffic stop. The officer and a sheriff's deputy tried to make the stop near Avon, but the Jeep fled at a high rate of speed.

The driver left the interstate in Albany and drove through several neighborhoods before returning to the westbound direction of I-94. The vehicle then exited the interstate in Freeport and drove northbound to St. Rosa.

Spike strips were deployed, forcing the driver to enter a property in the 39000 block of County Road 168. The driver entered a swampy area, and the two occupants fled further into the swamp.

The two suspects ultimately surrendered after a perimeter was set up with police dogs.

The driver was identified as 32-year-old Melissa Torres of Moorhead. The passenger was identified as 21-year-old Jackson Mulder of Valley City, North Dakota. Both had active arrest warrants.

Several law enforcement agencies assisted in the pursuit.