A man charged after police forced a fleeing vehicle off the highway on Monday using spike belts reserved his plea on several charges on Wednesday.
Michael Gary Scholl, 27, of Red Deer was remanded in custody to appear in Red Deer provincial court on Jan. 30.
Scholl is alleged to be one of two men in the car that didn’t stop for police around the Penhold overpass before noon on Monday.
Scholl is charged with failing to stop for police, dangerous driving, two counts of theft of goods valued at less than $5,000, attempting to assault a police officer, and two counts of failing to comply with court orders.
The commotion started in Red Deer at about 9:40 a.m. when Red Deer City RCMP were alerted to a theft of cigarettes at the Express 24 in Eastview.
Members of the Red Deer Rural RCMP noticed the suspect vehicle — a silver Dodge Charger — heading south on Hwy 2 at the Penhold overpass.
The vehicle sped off when police attempted to pull it over and headed back north on Hwy 2, police said earlier.
Police did not give chase, but rural members and officers with the Lacombe Police Service set spike belts at overpasses in the fleeing vehicle’s path, starting with the Aspelund Road overpass at Blackfalds.
A passing motorist who noticed some of the incident estimated the suspect vehicle was driving on two rims at about 125 km/h.
The crippled Dodge veered into the median and came to rest in knee-deep snow, angled toward the southbound lanes.
It’s at this point that the men were arrested and a Lacombe Police Services officers was allegedly assaulted.
Police said earlier that the car was not stolen.
The other man arrested was Jason Arsenault, 24, of Red Deer, who had several warrants out for his arrest.
Arsenault wasn’t charged with any offences in the Monday incident but pleaded guilty to several outstanding charges and was jailed.
He pleaded guilty to forgery and breaching conditions of an 18-month conditional jail sentence he received last year for forgery, which was due to expire on June 5, 2011.
That sentence was collapsed on Tuesday and Arsenault must now serve the time in jail.
He also received 45 days in jail for a forgery earlier this month. That will start after June 5.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com