A Proctor man faces three felony charges after allegedly fleeing Duluth police twice in less than a week earlier this month.
Samuel James Nelson, 26, appeared in State District Court in Duluth on Tuesday on two counts of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, and one count of second-degree assault. If convicted on the most serious charge - the assault - he faces up to seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine.
Nelson's bail was set at $100,000; he remained in the St. Louis County Jail as of Wednesday afternoon.
According to the criminal complaint:
At about 9 a.m. July 14, Duluth police officers responded to a 911 call from the 700 block of North 54th Avenue West regarding two individuals who had been sleeping in a car in a parking lot for about four hours.
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When an officer knocked on the window, the driver - identified as Nelson - placed his keys in the ignition and did not comply with the officer's request to open the door. He did roll down the driver's side window; while speaking with Nelson, an officer called in the vehicle's identification number and learned it had been reported stolen from St. Paul.
The officer ordered Nelson to exit the vehicle, at which point Nelson allegedly started the car. The officer tried to open the driver's side door but it was locked; the officer reached in to try to remove the keys from the ignition. Nelson allegedly put the car in reverse - as the officer backed away to avoid being injured - and backed into a chain-link fence near Faith Haven Apartments before leaving at a high rate of speed and crossing the Bong Bridge to Wisconsin.
On July 18, investigators received information that Nelson was at the Holiday station at Arrowhead and Rice Lake roads in Duluth. The first investigator on the scene recognized Nelson from prior contacts and pulled up behind Nelson's car.
As the investigator identified himself and drew his firearm, Nelson started his vehicle and - as the investigator was standing at the driver's side door of Nelson's car - put the vehicle in reverse and slammed into the unmarked squad car.
The criminal complaint states that Nelson drove down a sidewalk at the station, struck the door of another vehicle that was occupied, and fled west on Arrowhead Road.
Nelson was arrested last Saturday in the 2800 block of West Second Street, Duluth police reported. He is due back in court on Aug. 17.
