On 2/22/26, Trooper Darsow was working routine patrol in his fully marked squad car. At 18:56 hours it was dark outside, and he was traveling north bound MNTH 65 at Crosstown Blvd in East Bethel, Anoka County. In the lane next to him was a silver Honda Accord MN license plate [PLATE REDACTED]. As the vehicle passed Trooper Darsow, he observed the seat belt of the driver hanging vertically and the rear lights of the vehicle were not turned on. Trooper Darsow got behind the Silver Honda and activated his emergency lights.
The vehicle did not stop and continued driving in the right lane. After a few seconds the vehicle went to the right shoulder and continued driving. The vehicle then went east on 187th Avenue and pulled into the Kwik Trip. Once the vehicle entered the parking lot it made a big loop and quickly accelerated out of the parking lot. As the driver was making the loop Trooper Darsow was able to get a look at him and observed a while male, bald estimated age in his 40's. The vehicle exited the parking lot and went west towards MNTH 65. At that intersection the only correct way to tur on to MNTH 65 is north.
The vehicle went across MNTH 65 into the south bound lanes and was driving north bound. The driver corrected and turned around sound bound MNTH 65 in the south bound lanes. In his rear-view mirror, Trooper Darsow saw a couple of vehicles turn west onto 187th near the Holiday gas station, he entered the gas station and asked bystanders if they saw the silver vehicle. Bystanders indicated they saw it going north. Trooper Darsow notified dispatch. Dispatch indicated they had received a 911 call who advised of a wrong way at MNTH 65 and 221st.
Trooper Darsow did not locate the vehicle. Trooper Seide advised that the vehicle was south bound MNTH 65 in Blaine and almost had a head on crash with the vehicle. Dispatch kept the vehicle on traffic cameras as it continued towards Minneapolis but lost it once it went into downtown. After the event Trooper Darsow looked at the registered owner and it did not look like the person he saw driving the vehicle. At 2134 hours Sherburne County Deputy Skinner contacted dispatch and indicated he had information about the vehicle.
Deputy Skinner indicated that the registered owner Gregory Gjerstad called him and told him he sold the vehicle about two months prior to a co-worker named Chad Menford Brehmer DOB- 8/21/72, Defendant herein. Gjerstad indicated that at 1904 hours on 2/22/26 Defendant called from [PHONE REDACTED], in a panic and said, "just call the, report the car stolen" and then hung up on Gjerstad. Defendant called back about a half hour later from a different number and told him again to report the car stolen.
Gjerstad heard from the Defendant a 3rd time on 2/23/26 where Defendant asked if Gjerstad had given law enforcement his name and then said, "you could have just told them you sold it to some guy." Gjerstad sent the screen shots of his cell phone text messages and phone calls between him and Defendant to the State Patrol. On 2/24/26, Sargent Ryan from the State Patrol obtained a search warrant for cell phone records for the phone number [PHONE REDACTED] that Defendant called Gjerstad from. The timing advance records from T- Mobile correlate the locations of the cell phone and where Trooper Darsow initiated the pursuit along with where dispatch was following the suspect vehicle on traffic cameras.
