A driver carrying more than six pounds of methamphetamine in a taped-up box tried to flee Pine County deputies by darting into a ditch along Interstate 35, according to the complaint.
David Anthony McHie, 74, faces two felony charges: first-degree drug possession and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, according to a complaint filed October 12 in Pine County District Court.
The complaint states that on October 9, a Pine County sheriff’s deputy was patrolling northbound on Interstate 35 near mile marker 167 when he saw a light blue Mitsubishi SUV speeding. The deputy reported that he was driving 75 miles per hour but the SUV was pulling away. Using radar, the deputy clocked the vehicle at 85 miles per hour.
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The deputy activated his emergency lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop. According to the complaint, the SUV darted left toward the median and drove into the ditch, apparently attempting to turn southbound and evade the deputy. The driver appeared to realize he could not cross the median due to a cable barrier and tried to return to the road, but deputies boxed the vehicle in.
The complaint says the deputy approached and saw the driver put his window down but refuse to turn off the car or show his hands, instead appearing to dig around inside the vehicle. The deputy removed the driver, who was identified as McHie, and arrested him for fleeing a peace officer.
During an inventory search of the SUV, deputies found a cellphone, a phone charger and a brown paper bag behind the driver’s seat. Inside the bag was a brown box sealed with shipping tape and not labeled. The complaint states that a K9 indicated the presence of an illegal narcotic in the box. Inside, deputies found three large clear plastic bags containing a crystal-like substance.
The substance tested positive for methamphetamine and had an uncertified weight of just over six pounds, according to the complaint.
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