Minnesota man pleads guilty to fleeing from East Grand Forks police

EAST GRAND FORKS — A Battle Lake, Minnesota, man accused of fleeing from East Grand Forks police while driving under the influence of alcohol changed his plea on Tuesday, July 11.

Tyler Jacob Leitch, 42, pleaded guilty to felony fleeing a police officer and gross misdemeanor second-degree driving while impaired. The proposed plea agreement hasn’t been filed.

According to an affidavit in the case, the East Grand Forks Police Department was dispatched to a local residence at 8:32 a.m. on Feb. 3, 2023, for an unwanted individual.

On scene, the homeowner told police she was trying to help Leitch and allowed him to stay at her residence the previous night, the affidavit said.

Leitch was upstairs with his girlfriend at the time, allegedly yelling at her children and calling them racial slurs, according to the affidavit.

Officers instructed Leitch to leave the residence. They noted he was visibly drunk and told him he wasn’t fit to drive, the affidavit said.

Shortly after police left the scene, an officer found Leitch’s vehicle exiting a parking lot. The vehicle accelerated to a high speed and a pursuit began, the affidavit said.

The chase spanned approximately six miles and ended when an officer completed a PIT maneuver about 2.5 miles north of East Grand Forks on Highway 220, the affidavit said.

Leitch was arrested and, while being transported, he allegedly made a comment that police were weak drivers. He said he’d never “done a high speed” before, and asked, “How was that for you?” the affidavit said.

When Leitch completed a breath test, his blood alcohol concentrate was 0.16, the affidavit said.

Leitch’s sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 22.