WILLMAR -- Carlota Elizabeth Gades, 26, of Willmar, was sentenced Monday to a year in jail, 80 hours of community service, three years of probation and a $50 fine on a felony charge of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, a gross misdemeanor charge of obstructing the legal process and a misdemeanor charge of driving while impaired.
The charges stem from a July 11 event that included fleeing a law enforcement officers at speeds of more than 100 mph and driving while intoxicated.
As part of her sentence in Kandiyohi County District Court, Gades was given credit for 66 days already served and 299 days of her yearlong se-ntence were stayed. She was also ordered to refrain from drug or alcohol use, submit to random testing, attend a MADD panel and remain law-abiding.
As part of a plea agreement, a felony for assaulting a peace officer, a gross misdemeanor and two misdemeanors for reckless driving and open bottle were dismissed.
A Willmar police officer was at the intersection of County Road 26 and First Street North around 5:38 a.m. July 11, when a passing motorist asked him to check on a southbound vehicle the motorist observed drive through a ditch. The officer observed the vehicle traveling 10 mph less than the speed limit. It was also weaving into the oncoming lane.
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When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver sped up to 60 mph. The driver then turned onto 15th Avenue Northwest, reaching a speed of 85 mph. The officer observed the car weaving the entire width of the roadway. At one point, one set of wheels rode onto the divider near Ridgewater College.
The officer continued to pursue south on County Road 5 then west on U.S. Highway 12, hitting a speed of 105 mph. The vehicle eventually stopped west of Pennock and entered a ditch.
The driver, identified as Gades, was uncooperative as officers attempted to remove her from the vehicle, forcing them to use a stun gun on her. Gades continued to resist arrest and scratched a Kandiyohi County sheriff 's deputy who was attempting to re-handcuff her after she worked her hand free of the cuffs. Officers found an open bottle of schnapps on the floor of the car.
Gades was taken to the Law Enforcement Center, where she denied driving or being under the influence. She threw phonebooks at an officer and was forcibly escorted to the jail, where she fought with jail staff.
and officers.
