Court news: Man sentenced for fleeing peace officer in Detroit Lakes

Gary Lee Bruguier, 42, of White Earth, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court on a felony charge of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

According to court records, on Oct. 29, 2020, a deputy noticed a man that looked like Bruguier’s cousin at the Holiday gas station. The man was wearing a COVID-19 facemask, so the officer wasn’t sure, but saw him drive off alone, and knew that his license was suspended.

The deputy put his emergency lights on to pull him over, and the man (who turned out to be Bruguier, not his cousin) pulled over, waited for the officer to get out of his squad car and approach him, then sped away. He drove through Detroit Lakes, running a red light and moving at speeds up to 65 mph. The pursuit went for about two miles.

Smoke was billowing from the driver’s side of the vehicle, and the deputy could see the vehicle wasn’t able to stop as it should, and got ready to execute a PIT maneuver near Central Street East and Barbara Avenue.

But the vehicle slowed drastically and made contact with the pursuing squad car, and Bruguier drove across the lawn of an apartment building and eventually left the vehicle on the 400 block of Central Street and ran.

The deputy deployed his dog, Cooper, who caught Bruguier after a 75- to 100-yard chase. He said he ran because he was wanted on warrants.

On March 19, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony sentenced him to 13 months in St. Cloud, stayed three years.

Bruguier was ordered to serve 45 days in jail, with credit for 45 days served. He was fined $50 plus $200 in court fees and ordered to pay $8,573 in restitution. He must get a chemical dependency evaluation and follow the recommendations, including aftercare, and was placed on supervised probation for three years.

A misdemeanor charge of fleeing a peace officer on foot was dropped in a plea agreement.

Christopher Charles Strehlow, 34, of Detroit Lakes has been sentenced in Becker County District Court on a felony charge of second-degree burglary.

According to court records, on July 20, 2016, he was one of several men involved in the burglary of a residence in Becker County.

Stolen in the burglary were 70 to 80 firearms, a 1997 Chevy Blazer, a Polaris 500 Sportsman ATV, a black tandem axle trailer, and other items.

On March 26, District Judge Gary R. Larson sentenced him to 18 months in St. Cloud, stayed 10 years.

Strehlow was ordered to serve 335 days in jail, with credit for 24 days served. Work release privileges were granted. He was fined $1,000 plus $1,160 in court fees. He must get a chemical dependency evaluation and follow the recommendations. Restitution is no longer required and he was discharged from probation.

Jeffrey Allen Felt, 50, of rural Park Rapids, has had his supervised probation extended one year on a felony second-degree burglary charge from 2009.

On March 18, District Judge Jay Carlson extended his supervised probation to April 7, 2022, ordered him to pay a $500 fine and $587 in court fees, and ordered him to get a chemical dependency evaluation and follow the recommendations, including aftercare. He was ordered to serve 70 days in jail, with credit for 70 days served.

In the original 2009 burglary case, Felt was sentenced for damaging a number of items in a garage and house belonging to his estranged wife. The walk-in door to the garage had been kicked in and two cars in the garage sustained serious damage, including smashed windows and mirrors and flattened tires.

There was also extensive damage inside the house -- a large TV set was destroyed, as was a computer and monitor, mirrors, a medicine chest, drywall and a hot tub surround. The refrigerator door was left open and food was thrown around the floor.

Felt's wife had obtained an order for protection against him 12 days earlier. As part of divorce proceedings, a settlement had been made, and all of the damaged items would have gone to the woman. Items belonging to Felt and the children were not damaged.

Blood drops were found in the garage, vehicles and house, and DNA analysis showed they belonged to Felt, according to court records.

Kyle Lee Accobee, 30, of Detroit Lakes has been sentenced in Becker County District Court on a felony charge of third-degree controlled substance crime.

According to court records, on Aug. 10, 2019, the vehicle he was riding in was pulled over by a state trooper on Highway 10 in Becker County for having a nonfunctioning taillight. He gave a false name and date of birth to the officer, but was still arrested on active warrants. A search of the vehicle turned up about 19 grams of meth.

On March 29, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony sentenced Accobee to 33 months in St. Cloud, stayed five years.

He was ordered to serve 201 days in jail, with credit for 201 days served, and was fined $1,000 plus $1,075 in court fees. He must get a chemical dependency evaluation and follow the recommendations, and was placed on supervised probation for five years.

Andrew Hyland King, 53, of West Fargo, N.D., has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime, misdemeanor marijuana possession and misdemeanor open bottle in a motor vehicle

According to court records, on March 26, he was pulled over by a state trooper for driving 56 mph in a 40 mph zone on Becker County Road 11, near Maple Lodge Road on Big Cormorant Lake.

The officer smelled unburned marijuana in the car, and asked for permission to search the vehicle, which King denied. The officer was about to search anyway, when King quickly reached into the center console area and handed him a glass hand pipe filled with majiruana.

A search of the vehicle turned up a total of 1.54 grams of meth in two different baggies, a total of 28 grams of marijuana, 7.6 grams of THC butter, six THC vape pens and 10 THC vape canisters.

On March 29, District Judge Waldemar Senyk released King on his own recognizance, without bail, and set his initial court appearance for April 12.

RELATED: See other Becker County District Court news here