Driver Charged After Stolen Vehicle Crash Spree In Sherburne County
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A 28-year-old man is charged after prosecutors say he stole a vehicle and caused two hit-and-run crashes in Sherburne County.
The crashes left one driver injured before the suspect then attempted to flee from a responding state trooper.
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The incidents happened around 4:10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2, near eastbound Highway 10 and County Road 50 in Big Lake Township, followed by a second crash roughly 40 minutes later near Highway 10 and County Road 11 in Becker Township.
Kaleb Aaron Mosher, of Bellingham, Minn., is charged with felony theft of a motor vehicle, gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation causing bodily harm, gross misdemeanor driving after cancellation inimical to public safety and a misdemeanor count of leaving the scene of a crash involving damage or injury. Prosecutors allege Mosher was driving a red Buick SUV involved in both crashes.
According to the criminal complaint, the first crash involved a woman who told officers she was involved in a crash with Mosher, who was driving the red Buick SUV. She said Mosher approached her after the crash and asked her not to call 911. When she told him she was already on the phone with dispatchers, he returned to the driver’s seat and drove away from the scene.
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About 40 minutes later, troopers received reports of a second crash at the intersection of Highway 10 and County Road 11 in Becker Township. A driver traveling northbound on County Road 11 told investigators he entered the intersection when Mosher sped past stopped traffic in a left-turn lane and continued into the intersection against a red light. Investigators say Mosher then struck the other driver, causing significant damage to the vehicle. The victim reported having chest pain from the seatbelt following the crash.
A witness told investigators Mosher passed stopped vehicles at an estimated 90 miles per hour before entering the intersection and striking the other driver.
Authorities say Mosher again fled the scene. A Minnesota State Trooper later located Mosher driving the damaged red Buick as he pulled out of a Holiday gas station at Highway 25 and Highway 10 in Big Lake. The Buick showed heavy rear passenger-side damage and was dragging its rear bumper, consistent with witness descriptions.
When the trooper approached, investigators say Mosher accelerated as if attempting to flee before turning into a nearby parking lot, where the trooper boxed the vehicle in and made contact with him.
According to the complaint, Mosher denied involvement in the first crash and claimed he had been rear-ended in the second. Field sobriety testing showed no signs of impairment. A records check revealed Mosher had four active arrest warrants and that his driver’s license had been canceled as inimical to public safety since July 2023.
Investigators later contacted the registered owner of the Buick, who told troopers Mosher had been at her home, and while she slept, took the vehicle without permission.
Court records show Mosher made an initial court appearance where bail was set at $40,000 without conditions or $4,000 with conditions. If convicted of the most serious charge, he faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
