Man pleads not guilty to high-speed chase charges

A man accused of leading law enforcement agencies on a high-speed chase pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Kanen Velasquez was arraigned Thursday in Hill County Justice Court and pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of criminal endangerment and misdemeanor charges of fleeing from or eluding a peace officer and driving without a valid license.

Saturday, May 2, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper overheard Rocky Boy Police Officers were headed toward Box Elder in pursuit of a vehicle reportedly traveling at 130 mph, a court document says.

The trooper set up spike strips in the Box Elder area, but when the driver passed through, he swerved to miss them.

The trooper followed the vehicle in pursuit and reported that speeds exceeded 120 mph on U.S. Highway 87. The fleeing vehicle turned right on Lasalle Road just after Northern Winz Casino and traveled as fast as 70 mph down that road.

The vehicle turned north on Laredo Road and sped up to as fast as 130 before turning east on Road 100 South. Five minutes later, the driver lost control of the vehicle and ended up in a ditch, according to court documents that relay testimonial from the trooper.

The driver drove the vehicle through a barbwire fence and began driving through a field.

When law enforcement caught up to the vehicle in the field, they discovered it was abandoned, but after 15 minutes of searching, the occupants were located and they surrendered. The driver was identified as Velasquez. The passenger was a juvenile.

Velasquez’ counsel requested the right to address bail and was instructed to file a motion to request a hearing.

Velasquez has an omnibus hearing June 8 at 9:45 a.m. in the Hill County Courthouse.