Stolen Vehicle Driver Charged in Rochester Intersection & Building Crashes

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- An Austin man driving a vehicle that was reported stolen is facing charges connected to two crashes that happened in Rochester last year. 

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One of the collisions involved a vehicle at an intersection and the other was between the stolen pick-up and a building. 

The traffic incidents occurred during the early morning hours of Nov. 4. Police found evidence of drug use inside of the suspect vehicle. 

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The suspect had abandoned the truck at the scene of the second crash, the criminal complaint says. The Olmsted County Attorney’s Office filed charges in the case on Thursday. 

Austin Man Charged for Crashing into Vehicle & Building in Stolen Pick-Up

The charges say Rochester Police responded to the scene of a two-vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of Salem Rd. and Fox Valley Dr. in southwest Rochester shortly before 1 a.m. on Nov. 4. 

The driver of a vehicle carrying two passengers reported attempting a left turn from eastbound Salem Rd. with a flashing yellow arrow when the vehicle she was driving collided with a westbound pick-up she said was traveling at a high rate of speed. 

The pick-up did not stop after the collision, the complaint says. The driver and her passengers were treated at the scene by medical personnel. 

While at the scene, officers were also informed of another accident that occurred about a block away from the intersection on Greenview Dr. Southwest. 

At the scene the officer saw an abandoned truck that matched the description of the vehicle involved in the first crash had slammed into a brick building. 

Police searched the vehicle and found pieces of burnt tinfoil and documentation belonging to 30-year-old Austin Joshua Mortenson, the charges say. 

Officers showed two witnesses in the area a photo of Mortenson and the witnesses said he matched the description of a man they saw flee the scene of the second crash on foot, the complaint says. 

Police contacted the pick-up’s registered owner who said he loaned the truck to a friend and the friend reported it stolen, according to the court document. 

Mortenson is charged with felony receiving stolen property, gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation and misdemeanor counts of careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. He’s due to make his first court appearance next month. 

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