***Updated at 8:30 p.m. on March 24, 2022 to include suspect's name and charges***
STUTSMAN COUNTY — The North Dakota Highway Patrol says a traffic stop lead to a pursuit that ended in a slough.
According to the NDHP's release, a NDHP Trooper attempted to stop a motorist near Jamestown on I-94 at approximately 7:21 p.m. Monday evening for traveling 98 mph in the 75 mph zone. The vehicle had been reported stolen from Fargo on March 21.
The vehicle fled from the traffic stop, eventually taking Exit 269 and traveling on Stutsman Co. Rd. 62 toward Spiritwood. The vehicle continued onto a gravel road and ended up leaving the roadway becoming stuck in a slough.
The 22-year-old driver fled on foot, heading farther into the slough to hide. The two passengers, a 21-year-old woman and 20-year-old man, remained in the vehicle and were detained by the pursuing officer.
Deputies from the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office and additional NDHP Troopers responded to the area. Officers from both agencies entered the slough, and after about an hour and a half, found the suspect.
He was severely hypothermic and required several officers to physically carry him out of the slough. The officers used an ATV to transport him to a waiting ambulance.
The suspect was first transported to the Jamestown Regional Medical Center, then transferred to a hospital in Fargo.
The suspect has been identified as Austin Perleberg Hunt, 22, Jamestown. He is charged with felony fleeing, reckless endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possessing stolen property. He is also charged with misdemeanor driving under suspension and resisting arrest.
Perleberg Hunt had warrants for his arrest at the time of the pursuit from Burleigh, Eddy and Stutsman Counties and the Jamestown PD. He is currently in custody at the Stutsman County Jail.
The incident remains under investigation and charges are pending.
