Emmons man sentenced to probation in local chase

Published 10:42 pm Thursday, July 6, 2017

An Emmons man who was arrested after a high-speed vehicle chase reached speeds of more than 100 mph last October was placed on unsupervised probation for one year Wednesday in Freeborn County District Court.

Joseph Eugene Waltz Jr., 21, was sentenced to 10 days in jail, and he was given credit for 10 days served. He was sentenced one day after he was arrested on a warrant in Albert Lea.

Joseph Eugene Waltz Jr.

Court documents state Waltz was charged after an officer attempted to stop a full-size truck that was seen driving through the area of downtown Albert Lea without headlights the night of Oct. 24.

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The vehicle reportedly continued west through the city at speeds of 60 to 90 mph before leaving the city heading west on Freeborn County Road 46 at 105 mph, according to police. The truck at one point was in a harvested bean field and an alfalfa field.

Waltz, the passenger in the vehicle, was apprehended in the area after the vehicle became stuck in a wooded area along the south shore of Lake Chapeau.

Sam Irvin Thompson, the driver of the vehicle, is charged with felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

About Sam Wilmes

Sam Wilmes covers crime, courts and government for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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