Early morning DUI chase hits 100 mph in Grand Forks County
A drunken driver led Grand Forks County deputies on a chase that reached speeds of up to 100 mph, the sheriff's department said in a news release Thursday.
Grand Forks police tried to stop a sport utility vehicle, a Ford Explorer driven by Clarence Belgarde, early Tuesday morning in the city, but the SUV fled and deputies later caught up with it on County Road 5 near the Grand Forks International Airport, authorities said.
The release says the SUV turned onto U.S. Highway 2 and headed west in the eastbound lane at about 100 mph. In the Emerado, N.D., area, deputies placed spike strips on the road in an attempt to pierce the vehicle's tires. After hitting the strips, the vehicle turned onto County Road 3, and deputies lost track of it.
A short while later, the SUV was spotted on County Road 6 where the chase started again. The vehicle was finally stopped on the 4100 block of 16th Avenue Northeast. Sgt. B.J. Maxson said Belgarde resisted arrest and deputies used a Taser to subdue him. Deputies also arrested Belgarde's passenger, Holly Delorme, who owns the vehicle.
Belgarde, 42, of Belcourt, N.D., is charged with reckless endangerment, fleeing, driving under the influence and driving under revocation. Belgarde, who's no longer in custody, is slated for a preliminary hearing May 3. A call to a number listed for him went unanswered Thursday.
Delorme, 33, of Belcourt, N.D., was ordered Tuesday to serve a year on unsupervised probation for allowing Belgarde to drive without liability insurance.
