A man fled into the woods after crashing a stolen ATV while a Crow Wing County sheriff’s sergeant was pursuing him near Brainerd, according to charges.
Damien Robert Graham, 53, faces charges of receiving stolen property, possession of burglary or theft tools, fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, fifth-degree drug possession and fleeing a peace officer by a means other than a motor vehicle.
According to the complaint, a property owner on North Nelson Road in Brainerd called law enforcement on September 21 after spotting a man on his land via a cellular game camera. The owner reported the man did not have permission to be there and described him as wearing a red shirt and black pants. A sheriff’s sergeant knew the address and the area around it had been the subject of multiple thefts and burglaries in recent weeks and knew other game cameras had been placed on the property.
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A short time later, a second man was seen on the property, wearing green and white pants and a white, green and black top. A deputy and the sergeant arrived, and the sergeant was sent the game camera photos on the way. The deputy said he had heard what sounded like an ATV being kick-started from what he thought was the north end of the property, but the two searched and found no one.
As the sergeant and the deputy stood near their patrol vehicles at the end of the driveway, a rider who matched the description of the man in the red shirt drove an off-highway motorcycle toward them, and an ATV driver who matched the man in green and white followed. The two waved at both drivers to stop and yelled “stop, police” at the ATV driver, but both drivers accelerated and fled.
The sergeant pursued both southbound on North Nelson Road with his lights and siren on. After about 0.7 miles, the ATV’s driver tried to make a 90-degree turn too fast, lost control and crashed into a ditch, striking a dirt berm. The operator was thrown from the ATV but managed to flee on foot into nearby woods. Deputies later found the man, identified as Damien Robert Graham, lying in a swampy area.
The sergeant found the ATV’s ignition had been tampered with and a pair of vice grips being used to hotwire it, and he removed the vice grips. The ATV, a 2016 Honda, had been reported stolen on September 11 from an address about 2.3 miles away and was valued at about $8,450, according to the complaint. A backpack on the ATV’s rear rack held a small container of suspected methamphetamine and a pouch of tools including a screwdriver and pliers.
The charges allege Graham possessed the stolen ATV, possessed tools with intent to use them to commit burglary or theft, fled a peace officer in a motor vehicle and on foot and possessed methamphetamine.
The charges were filed September 22 in Crow Wing County District Court.
About This Charge
Receiving stolen property, under § 609.53, is punished according to the value of the property. For property valued at $5,000 or more, as charged here, the complaint lists a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
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