WILLMAR -- Jay Douglas Goedert, 18, of Willmar, was arraigned Monday on charges stemming from a weekend motorcycle chase and accident that left his friend in critical condition at St. Cloud Hospital.
Unconditional bail was set at $25,000 by Judge Michael J. Thompson. Conditional release was set at $3,000 for Goedert.
Goedert faces a felony for fleeing a peace officer, a gross misdemeanor for failure to stop after a traffic accident and two misdemeanors for driving after revocation and careless driving. The incident began after midnight Saturday when a Kandiyohi County sheriff's deputy was completing a traffic stop in Spicer.
The deputy heard two motorcycle engines running at high speeds and possibly racing, according to the criminal complaint.
The cycles were southbound on Highway 23 and one popped a wheelie with the front wheel off the ground.
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The drivers decelerated when they saw the lights of the squad car, then accelerated to a high rate of speed after the deputy activated the emergency lights.
The pursuit continued on County Road 10 where the deputy found the two cycles lying on the ground and one driver lying in a yard. That driver was identified in court papers as Nathan Rogalski, 22, of Spicer.
Rogalski was found unresponsive and transported by air ambulance to St. Cloud Hospital.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, he was still listed in critical condition, according to hospital officials.
Deputies followed up on an anonymous tip and later found Goedert at an Atwater address. He told officers he lost control of the cycle he was driving and that Rogalski crashed into the rear tire of his crashed cycle.
According to court papers, Goedert said he took off after he realized what happened and that he watched from a distance as emergency responders arrived to care for Rogalski. He said he had fled the scene because his driver's license is revoked.
His next court appearance is Sept. 10.
