An Aitkin County man wanted for crimes including stealing cars and fleeing police in Pengilly has been arrested in Canada, according to the Itasca County Sheriff's Office.
Benjamin Daniel Reyes-Smith, 27, is in custody at the Regina (Saskatchewan) Police Services after allegedly shoplifting at a mall there. At the time he reportedly was also in possession of a Honda Civic stolen from Pengilly last week.
The Honda was the third car stolen by Reyes-Smith in a chain of events that began Oct. 8, the Itasca County Sheriff said in a news release. On Oct. 8, an Aitkin County sheriff's deputy was involved in chasing Reyes-Smith in a stolen vehicle into Itasca County, at which point Itasca deputies set up a road block with stop sticks. The stolen vehicle stopped just south of the road block and Reyes-Smith reportedly fled into the woods.
Authorities using a police dog in the area were unsuccessful in searching for him. On Oct. 10, another vehicle was reported missing from a local convenience store and when Reyes-Smith was found two miles south of Pengilly on a dead end road, he fled on foot again, according to the news release. Although law enforcement searched again, they were unable to locate Reyes-Smith.
Early on Oct. 11, the Honda was stolen from another convenience store in Pengilly and authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.
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Reyes-Smith is scheduled to appear in a Canadian court on Thursday while Itasca authorities work with the Regina Police constable and Canadian Immigration Office to have him extradited to Minnesota.
