Man arrested for allegedly fleeing NDHP

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Press Photo by Sean M. Soehren North Dakota Highway Patrol officials ensure the roadway is safe after the vehicle pursuit of an allegedly fleeing driver was ended by using tire deflating road spikes on westbound Interstate 94 near Gladstone on Friday morning.
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A Fargo man was taken into custody for allegedly fleeing after a vehicle pursuit by the North Dakota Highway Patrol was ended with the use of tire deflating spike strips Friday morning.

At approximately 8:40 a.m. the NDHP began a vehicle pursuit near Glen Ullin on westbound Interstate 94 when an officer allegedly clocked David Wehrman, 25, Fargo, driving at 88 mph. The officer activated the lights in an attempted to stop the vehicle and allegedly the driver slowed down but did not stop.

NDHP Sergeant Will Vance said backup officers were called and a pursuit continued at speeds ranging from 40 to 60 mph.

Information regarding destination and reason for fleeing could not be released, Vance said.

“That part we are checking into a little bit,” he said. “With it being a pending case we can’t give out much information.”

Stark County Sheriff’s Department officers assisted NDHP and were able to successfully deploy spike strips near Gladstone which deflated the vehicle tires.

“Any pursuit can put other motorists in danger and that was part of the reason for using the spike strips,” Vance said. “As soon as we can get those deployed we typically do. Hopefully that brings it to an end as quickly as possible.”

The spike strips are hollow sharpened tubes connected to ropes that are quickly released and retracted manually from the side of the roadway, Vance said. He added that they cause air to be released gradually, usually completely deflating tires within a few minutes.

The vehicle stopped on the side of the road but allegedly Wehrman refused to get out for an extended period of time. The Sheriff’s Department and the Dickinson Police Department assisted in securing the area at the end of the pursuit, Vance said.

After approximately one hour Wehrman exited the vehicle and was taken into custody, Vance said.

The incident stopped traffic in the westbound lane for about 20 minutes before vehicles were detoured at the Gladstone exit, Vance said.

Wehrman was charged with speeding and fleeing a police officer, which is a Class A misdemeanor. He was taken to the Southwest Multi-County Correction Center in Dickinson.

Tags: medium speed chase, north dakota highway patrol, news