The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Local News

March 2, 2013

High-speed chase ends on tracks

The Free Press

KASOTA — A high-speed chase Friday night through a Kasota city park and on train tracks ended with the arrest of a St. Peter man, the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.

It started at 11:42 p.m, when a deputy tried to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation. The offender sped away, pursued by the deputy, through a city park and onto various rural roadways before returning to Kasota.

The driver tried to evade the deputies by driving down railroad tracks, but his vehicle became disabled on the tracks near the bridge over Highway 22. The driver fled the scene, but deputies knew who he was and arrested him at a nearby home.

Adam Joseph Willaert, 31, is expected to make a court appearance Monday.

A State Patrol helicopter assisted in the chase, and a squad car received minor damage.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News
  • Mankato man jailed after assault

    An argument between two Mankato men at a Liberty Street residence Saturday ended with one man on the sidewalk bleeding and the other in jail.

    May 22, 2013

  • Nicollet Co. asked to support ice arena

     Nicollet County commissioners were asked Tuesday to consider chipping in for a study on the feasibility of adding more indoor ice sheets and possibly a broader sports complex in Mankato or North Mankato.

    May 22, 2013

  • Education co-op plans N. Mankato expansion

    The South Central Service Cooperative is purchasing a 12-acre parcel in upper North Mankato for a future building expansion.

    May 22, 2013

  • mfp Roundabout mtg.jpg Roundabout concerns, affections voiced

    Drivers had a chance to learn more about roundabout plans for two busy Mankato intersections Tuesday. They also had the chance to voice their opinions about their use instead of stop lights for traffic control.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • mfp tea party pic Local tea party group protests at IRS office

    |MANKATO — Andy Johnson has been waiting for several years to ask the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status for his group, Southern Minnesota Tea Party. His plan was to wait for the Rochester group to get that status, then copy their paperwor

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • mfp fire autism 3 pic.jpg Scary environment turns into a safety-centered one

    Specialized training familiarizes kids who have autism with firefighters and vice versa.

    May 21, 2013 3 Photos

  • mfp robb colum pic Sad closure for a favorite story

    By the time I met Judy Roe, it was already too late. I met her at a dinner table at Pathstone Living, an assisted-living and nursing home facility near Sibley Park in Mankato. I'd been invited by her husband, Jim Roe.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • N. Kato seeking consultants for major plan

    The North Mankato City Council set the stage for two long-term plans Monday night, one for economic development and the other a comprehensive plan.

    May 21, 2013

  • Repairs to ruts, roads underway Q: I have noticed deep, muddy ruts along sidewalks that were plowed by, I assume, the city. I have seen them quite a few places, including in my neighborhood along Hoffman Road. The grass is gone and the ruts are deep -- deep enough for someone to br

    May 21, 2013

  • Mankato Schools employees recognized MANKATO -- The Mankato Area School Board got to know a few of its employees a little better Monday night when they were recognized for many years of service. Bios were read aloud by Board Chair Ann Hendricks for employees who have worked 30 and 35 ye

    May 21, 2013