A rural Ellsworth man is accused of taking his father’s truck without permission and fleeing police at speeds of more than 100 mph when they tried to pull him over.

Jonathan Timothy Peterson, 24, posted a $5,000 signature bond Dec. 8 in Pierce County Circuit Court on a felony vehicle operator flee/elude officer charge. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison and/or fines up to $10,000.

According to the complaint:

At 1:36 a.m. Dec. 8, an Ellsworth police officer on routine patrol near Wall and Broadway streets in the East End saw a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado nearly drive onto the north sidewalk of Wall Street while heading west. He saw the truck cross the center line near Main and Piety streets and initiated a traffic stop with his emergency lights at Main and Plum streets. The truck did not slow down, even when the officer activated his siren.

The truck continued west on Highway 10 out of Ellsworth and increased its speed to 95 mph at Highway 10 and 760^th Street. When it turned left onto Highway 63 to head south, its speeds increased. The officer noted the truck was pulling away from him as he was going 100 mph. There was little to no traffic on the highway. The officer saw the truck cross the center line and fog lines near Highway 63 and County Road VV. At one point, it went completely into the northbound traffic lane near 220^th Avenue. It flew through the intersection at highways 63 and 35 without stopping, crossed the center line near 830^th Street in Hager City and raced across the High Bridge into Minnesota at about 90 mph.

The officer made the decision to terminate the pursuit after entering the city. He parked near West Third and Bush streets in Red Wing and waited there for a few minutes while dispatch identified the vehicle’s owner, later found to be Peterson’s father.

Officers responded to the Peterson home on County Road K in rural Ellsworth where they told officers their son was not allowed to drive the truck because he doesn’t have a driver’s license. The vehicle was missing from its usual parking place and the only access to its keys were in the house.

When his father called him, Peterson answered the phone and agreed to speak to police. He changed his story a couple times but finally admitted he had fled police after seeing them try to pull him over near BP in Ellsworth. While on the phone, dispatch informed the officer Prescott police had eyes on the vehicle, which had entered Wisconsin on Highway 10. Peterson refused to pull over for Prescott police before finally agreeing to do so. Pierce County deputies arrived on the scene and took him into custody.

The Ellsworth officer transported Peterson’s dad to the scene to pick up his truck. He noted there were substantial scratches to the hood’s paint and front bumper that hadn’t been there before.

At Pierce County Jail, Peterson was also cited for operate without valid license, operating left of center, failure to stop at a stop sign and speeding. He told officers he didn’t have permission to take the truck off his dad’s property, but did so anyway at 11 p.m. He and a friend went to Treasure Island and U.S. Bank Stadium before heading back to Broz Bar in Ellsworth. He claimed they left Broz when a fight broke out. He said his friend, who he identified as Zachary Weiss, told him to flee police into Minnesota where they couldn’t chase him anymore. He figured if he made it to Minnesota, he’d avoid going to jail. 

After making it to Red Wing, he skidded into someone’s backyard and drove through a fence. He said he then dropped his friend off at a gas station and went through Hastings to enter Wisconsin at Prescott, hoping to avoid police. When asked why he didn’t stop immediately for the Prescott officer, he said he was just “trying to get home” and hoped the officer on the phone would tell Prescott everything was fine. He admitted that didn’t make a lot of sense.

Peterson is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. Jan. 26 in Pierce County Circuit Court.