Three people face methamphetamine-related charges and other crimes after an incident involving a high-speed chase in the Moose Lake area last week.
St. Paul resident Robert Charles Gutz, 30, faces eight charges including first degree meth possession, fleeing a peace officer in the motor vehicle, receiving stolen property, felony possession of a firearm, driving after cancellation of his license, giving a false name to a peace officer, obstructing the legal process and reckless driving.
Mindy Lee Lackore-Mueller, 29, faces charges of first degree meth possession, fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and obstructing the legal process. At her arraignment last Friday, Lackore-Mueller told Carlton County District Court Judge Robert McCauley that she also lives in St. Paul.
A third individual, 30-year-old Jason Jerome McDonough of Superior, Wis., has been charged with third degree possession of meth in the incident.
On Wednesday, June 25, Moose Lake Police Officer Rusty French was called to an area business after it was reported that a man was "acting strangely," court documents said. When the officer arrived and checked the reported man's vehicle license plates, he found the truck's status was "held for resale." The vehicle left the location at that point, and as it did not have the required 21-day temporary registration tag displayed, French made contact with the driver at the Moose Lake Oil fuel station.
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The pickup truck had two people inside and when French pulled up in his vehicle, Lackore-Mueller allegedly approached him, said she had the 21-day tag somewhere inside the vehicle and agreed to retrieve it for him.
Gutz then approached the officer looking "quite nervous ... sweating profusely... with his hands visibly shaking," according to court documents.
Gutz was unable to produce a driver's license but allegedly told French his name was Adam Fredrick Scheltz and that his birth date was Nov. 27, 1989. Dispatch employees could find no information on file pertaining to anyone with that name, however.
In the meantime, both Lackore-Mueller and Gutz went back to the truck, entered and rolled up their windows. When French approached the passenger side and indicated to Gutz that they should exit the vehicle, Gutz allegedly refused, shaking his head "no." Lackore-Mueller started the vehicle, put it into drive, opened the door and told French he "had no reason to detain them," records said.
Although French instructed her to shut off the truck and exit it, the vehicle was already rolling and at that point, Gutz reportedly moved forcefully into the driver's side, knocking Lackore-Mueller out of the vehicle and to the ground.
Gutz then sped away and French followed, leaving Lackore-Mueller at the station. A high-speed chase ensued with Gutz driving across lawns and through a controlled intersection without stopping, according to records. The chase continued on Highway 61 heading south. Officers from the Minnesota Highway Patrol, Carlton County and Pine County responded and became involved in the chase, which at times included speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. They also reported items were flung out of the vehicle as it traveled.
Eventually, law enforcement stopped and arrested Gutz near a field in Pine County. The vehicle was towed and officers later found more than 200 grams of meth, more than $10,000 and drug paraphernalia, including pipes and scales, inside, documents said. Officers also reportedly found a gun in the field near the vehicle that was determined to be stolen.
Once in custody, Gutz told officers that Lackore-Mueller would be waiting for a ride back to Wisconsin and that McDonough would attempt to pick her up. Officers learned she had gotten a ride to Barnum but did not know her specific location. Soon after, however, officers spotted McDonough's car at the Little Store in Barnum. They then saw him make contact with Lackore-Mueller, who was reportedly hiding in the foliage area of the Interstate-35 southbound right-of-way. Both Lackore-Mueller and McDonough were arrested and during a search, officers found three grams of meth on McDonough.
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All three were arraigned Friday in Carlton County District Court. McCauley set Gutz's bond at $75,000. He was convicted in 2000 of fleeing a motor vehicle, which is a felony, and his driver's license was cancelled as "inimical to public safety," following a refusal to test after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated in April, documents said.
Lackore-Mueller's bond was set at $50,000, as was McDonough's. He is on probation in Wisconsin and was convicted in 2000 for felony possession of cocaine. All are scheduled to make a first appearance in Carlton County Court on Wednesday.
