Drunk Motorcyclist Fled Deputy at 85 mph Through Mankato

A Mankato man led a sheriff’s deputy on a high-speed motorcycle chase through city streets, running multiple stop signs and reaching 85 mph in a 30 mph zone before surrendering in a dead-end business lot, according to the complaint.

The pursuit began on August 28, 2026, when a Blue Earth County sheriff’s deputy on patrol in Mankato saw a motorcycle drive through a stop sign on Stadium Road without stopping. The deputy activated his emergency lights and made a U-turn to initiate a traffic stop. Nathaniel Todd Bauernfeind, 27, who was driving the motorcycle, revved its engine and accelerated away as the deputy turned around, the complaint states.

Bauernfeind faces six charges: fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, two counts of driving while impaired, reckless driving, driving a motorcycle without the required endorsement and failing to stop at stop signs.

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According to court records, the deputy pursued Bauernfeind through West Pleasant and Stoltzman Road, observing him pass multiple vehicles in no passing zones and run another four-way stop sign without stopping. The chase continued onto Riverfront Drive, where Bauernfeind reached speeds of 85 mph in a 30 mph zone before turning into a business lot that ended in a dead end. At that point, Bauernfeind surrendered to the deputy.

A second deputy arrived and spoke with Bauernfeind, noting a strong odor of alcohol, droopy eyelids, watery and bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. The deputy conducted field sobriety tests, including the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, and observed all 6 possible clues indicating impairment. The odor of alcohol became stronger as the deputy stood closer, according to the complaint.

Bauernfeind declined to take a preliminary breath test at the scene and was arrested. He was transported to the Blue Earth County Jail, where he was read the Implied Consent Advisory within two hours of driving. Bauernfeind declined to speak with an attorney and agreed to take a breath test, which measured his blood alcohol concentration at .15 within two hours of driving.

The complaint also notes that Bauernfeind’s motorcycle permit was expired at the time of the incident.

The charges were filed August 31 in Blue Earth County District Court. A court date has not yet been set.

About This Charge

Minnesota’s DWI statute is § 169A.20, with degrees defined under § 169A.24 through § 169A.27. A first-degree DWI is a felony carrying up to seven years in prison and triggered by three or more qualifying prior impaired-driving incidents within 10 years, a prior felony DWI, or a prior felony vehicular homicide. Second and third-degree DWI are gross-misdemeanor offenses. Bauernfeind’s DWI counts are charged as fourth-degree DWI, a misdemeanor carrying up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The fleeing count is a felony carrying up to 3 years and one day in prison and a $5,000 fine.