Rochester Man Expecting Prison Sentence For High-Speed Chase
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man is scheduled to be sentenced next month for a felony conviction stemming from a high-speed chase that occurred in Oronoco while Gold Rush Days were taking place in August.
47-year-old Frankie Hanson Senior earlier this week entered a guilty plea to a felony count of fleeing police in a motor vehicle. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed three misdemeanor charges, including obstructing the legal process. The plea deal includes a recommended sentence of 17 months in prison.
Hanson was arrested on August 18 after deputies patrolling the Gold Rush event were dispatched to a report of a domestic assault at an Oronoco Storage business. The responding deputies were also advised that the suspect was attempting to start a fire.
A Sheriff's Department spokesman says the dispatchers identified the suspect as Hanson, and indicated he was known the law enforcement for his reputation of being uncooperative and dangerous in law enforcement interactions.
According to the criminal complaint, a State Trooper was the first to arrive at the scene and Hanson sped away from the storage business at a high rate of speed. The court document alleges he also disregarded stop signs and other basic traffic laws while he was being pursued.
The charges say Hanson stopped during the pursuit but left his vehicle in gear and lurched it forward about a foot at a time while arguing with the law officers ordering him out of his vehicle. He then sped away for a second time and temporarily eluded the deputies before he was later located back at the storage facility.
The Sheriff's Office Spokesman says Hanson remained belligerent and refused orders to exit his vehicle, which prompted the law officers to deploy a Taser. That allowed the officers to wrestle the man into a squad car and transport him to the Olmsted County jail.
Court records indicate Hansen has a criminal history in Olmsted County that dates back to 2001. It includes convictions for false imprisonment, felony criminal sexual conduct, aiding and abetting robbery, and third-degree assault. He was also arrested this past May after deputies attempted to serve an arrest warrant and he jumped into the Zumbro River north of Rochester. Hanson then floated down the waterway until officers jumped into the river and took him into custody.
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