Bond was set Thursday in the case of a 23-year-old man charged with fleeing from law officers twice in the past month.
Michael Benjamin Goodman, who told the court he has a local address, was arraigned on numerous charges one day after officers fanned out through a residential Park Rapids neighborhood and captured him following a brief car and foot chase through town.
Goodman, who appeared in Hubbard County District Court in a wheelchair, was charged in two separate fleeing incidents, one Wednesday and another one July 16.
A warrant had been issued for Goodman stemming from that incident that was active when Park Rapids police officer Dan Garner spotted him Wednesday on Highway 34 and attempted to pull him over.
The complaint states around 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, Goodman sped through the Burger King parking lot, then ran several stop signs, narrowly missing a pedestrian and some vehicles as the car crossed Highway 71.
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The chase came to an end at 10th Street and Front Avenue when Goodman crashed the Chrysler he was driving.
"He just came flying by and then there was an officer following him," resident Pat Monson said. "I knew he couldn't make the curve at the speed he was going."
The suspect then fled on foot, prompting a platoon of officers from the Park Rapids, Nevis, Police Department, Hubbard County Sheriff and State Patrol to comb the neighborhood. He was arrested at an apartment complex about a half hour after the chase began.
Goodman's sweatshirt was sent to the BCA lab for analysis after the Sheriff's Department's new K-9 alerted officers to the presence of drugs.
In that incident, Goodman is charged with Fleeing Officers in a vehicle and on foot, Driving After Revocation and Reckless Driving. Fleeing Officers in a Vehicle carries a maximum charge of 3 years and a day in jail and/or a $5,000 fine upon conviction. The three other charges are each punishable by a maximum of 90 days and/or a $1,000 fine.
In court he indicated he was indigent, so Judge Robert Tiffany appointed a public defender to represent Goodman. He set bond at $100,000 unconditional, $75,000 conditional with or a 10 percent cash alternative.
The defendant turned around in court and whispered to family members and friends that "I've got the money out there" and began directing them to procure it.
Goodman and his audience were reprimanded several times by court bailiff Phil Stuemke, who warned them to stop communicating with each other.
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In the July incident, the complaint states a deputy was running radar on County Road 81 and clocked a vehicle at 75 mph. The driver blew through the stop sign on County 81 and County Road 4 and went into the ditch. The occupants fled on foot, the complaint states.
Officers located the passenger, who told them he and Goodman had just left Zorbaz pizzeria in Dorset. Video from the establishment showed Goodman and the passenger getting into the vehicle, with Goodman at the wheel, the complaint states. A warrant was issued. At the time, Goodman's driving privileges were revoked from a previous fleeing charge in 2010, which he was sent to prison for.
He faces identical charges in that incident, Fleeing by car and on foot, Driving After Revocation and Reckless Driving.
Tiffany set bail at $50,000 unconditional, with $25,000 conditional or a 10 percent cash surety.
If Goodman is able to post bond, numerous conditions have been imposed on him, including no alcohol or drug use, to remain law abiding and submit to random checks.
When the judge asked Goodman if he had anything to add to the bail conditions, Goodman responded, "These files they're trying to get me on it's my word against the prosecutors."
Tiffany cut him off and said the merits of the case were not up for discussion at an arraignment.
His next appearance is Aug. 15.
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The chase south of the hospital and clinic attracted dozens of bystanders in the residential neighborhood, some of which were photographing the action.
Officers set up at several intersections surrounding the neighborhood while the foot chase was under way.
Authorities said they could not speak about Goodman's injuries or whether he received them during his apprehension, or if he was injured as a result of the car accident that ended the vehicle chase.
Goodman has an extensive criminal history including burglary and theft and alcohol-related convictions. His criminal record indicates a Ponsford address, but he told Tiffany he now lives in Park Rapids.
Dearstyne said even if Goodman can post the cash bond, "He isn't going anywhere. DOC has a hold on him."
Because Goodman is still on parole for the 2010 fleeing incident, the Department of Corrections would not let him be freed on bond, Dearstyne said.
