On April 16, 2026, at approximately 1:12am, Deputy Brock Diedrich of the Chisago County Sheriff's Office was on routine patrol traveling eastbound on N Lake Drive in Rush City, Chisago County, Minnesota, when he observed a vehicle in front of him that had a cracked windshield and had crossed the fog line. Deputy Diedrich followed the suspect vehicle as it turned northbound onto Rush Lake Trail with the intention of initiating a traffic stop. Due to the roadway having a limited shoulder, Deputy Diedrich attempted to find a safer area to initiate the stop, ultimately activating his emergency lights near the intersection of Rush Lake Drive and 540th Street, near the county line.
The suspect vehicle slowed while continuing to drive northbound. Deputy Diedrich activated his siren, at which point the suspect vehicle began to accelerate and turned eastbound onto Farming Road, which is a dirt road. The suspect vehicle accelerated rapidly to an estimated 70 mph in a 55-mph zone. The suspect vehicle continued eastbound until turning northbound onto Elmcrest Avenue where it again accelerated to speeds of 85 mph. The suspect vehicle made several more turns, reaching speeds of 95 mph, before coming to a stop.
A high-risk stop was conducted and the occupants were placed under arrest. The driver of the suspect vehicle was identified as JAMES ALAN ODEGARD, [DOB REDACTED] ("Defendant" herein). After being placed under arrest, Defendant advised that he fled because his license was revoked and he did not want to go to jail. Deputy Diedrich did confirm that Defendant's driving status was revoked. Additional law enforcement arrived on scene. A search of the area along the route of the flee was conducted for property that may have been thrown from the suspect vehicle during the pursuit.
In the ditch near the intersection of Farming Road and Raspberry Road, Chisago County Deputy Tristan Olson located a black Nike backpack that had a black case in it. In searching the contents of the backpack, Deputy Olson located various drug paraphernalia, along with numerous containers and bags containing substances that, based on his training and experience, Deputy Olson knew to be consistent with illegal narcotics. The substances all field tested positive for methamphetamine and came in at a total weight of 16.95 grams.
