CLAY COUNTY, Minn. — A Richville, Minn. man was arrested Wednesday, Sept. 30, after authorities say he took them on a chase through Clay County with a loaded firearm and drugs.
According to the Clay County Sheriff's Office, the incident started at around 9:22 p.m. Wednesday when a deputy conducted a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 10 near 80th Street in the rural Glyndon area.
According to the office, the deputy stopped the vehicle because the registered owner and driver of the vehicle did not have a valid driver's license. But as they were talking to the driver, he fled, heading eastbound on Highway 10 and traveling at a high rate of speed.
A Hawley police officer deployed stop sticks in the area of Highway 10 and 200th Street, causing some of the tires on the vehicle to go flat. The release states the deputy was then able to conduct a PIT maneuver to bring the vehicle to a stop.
According to the office, a search of the vehicle turned up a loaded firearm and illegal controlled substances. The driver, James Helps, 40, of Richville, is being held in the Clay County Jail on suspicion of fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, first-degree sales of a controlled substance, felon in possession of a firearm, reckless driving and driving with a canceled driver's license.
