Charges: Speeds Reached 100 mph During Pursuit of Rochester Burglary Suspects

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- Two men accused of burglarizing a Rochester apartment complex construction site then leading officers on a chase that ended Byron early Saturday morning were arraigned in Olmsted County Court Monday. 

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37-year-old Kyle Felter of Oronoco and 31-year-old Taylor Suchla of Rochester each face a charge of 3rd-degree burglary and fleeing an officer on foot. Felter is also charged with fleeing police in a vehicle, reckless driving and driving after revocation. Suchla was also charged with fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance. Bail for each man was set at $30,000. 

The criminal complaint says the Rochester Police Department responded to the report of a burglary in progress at the construction site in northwest Rochester. The first officer to arrive reported seeing Felter and Suchla loading boxes from the site into their van in the parking garage of the site. Felter, who has a revoked driver’s license, got behind the wheel and Suchla entered the passenger side and the men left the site and fled the responding officer. 

The van was then spotted by an officer on patrol on Superior Ave. NW. The second pursuit began after the van attempted to strike the officer’s squad vehicle head-on, according to the complaint. 

The complaint says the van was estimated to be traveling around 100 mph when the pursuit hit westbound Hwy. 14. Felter and Suchla exited the van as it was still moving when Felter failed to navigate a right turn near a residence in Byron. 

Related: Huge Construction Tool Theft Reported in Olmsted County 

The suspects fled into a cornfield. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene and deployed their drone which picked up a pair of heat signatures in the field. A Roshecter police officer, Olmsted County sheriff’s deputy and Kasson police officer walked towards the heat signature and apprehended Felter. Officers then arrested Suchla using the same method and found he had two M-30 pills that were likely laced with fentanyl and urine used to pass drug tests, the complaint states. 

Law enforcement searched the van and recovered “large amounts of copper pipes, a shop vacuum, and other miscellaneous construction items,” the complaint states. During the pursuit officers reported seeing Suchla throwing items out of the van. Investigators are working with contractors at the construction site to determine the items that were taken.