A passenger in a vehicle that crashed early Tuesday morning allegedly stole a nearby car and rolled it just one mile from the original crash scene.
Wendell Rodney Blue, 36, of Redby, ran from the second accident scene into nearby woods and was soon apprehended after he emerged from hiding, according to Beltrami County Sheriff Phil Hodapp.
Blue remains in Beltrami County Jail pending charges of theft of a motor vehicle, driving while intoxicated, refusal to submit to testing and failing to render aid. The Beltrami County attorney's office said charges are expected to be filed on Wednesday.
The stolen car, which was totaled in the rollover, belonged to someone who happened to be passing by the first accident scene and offered assistance, Hodapp said.
"It was a Good Samaritan who stopped at the scene to check on injuries," Hodapp said.
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While the car's owner was checking the victims' injuries, Blue allegedly got into the 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse and left the scene, Hodapp said.
But, he didn't get far. Blue rolled the Eclipse at about 1:30 a.m. one mile west of the first crash site, the State Patrol said.
Blue was a passenger in a 1994 Chevrolet Lumina that vaulted off State Highway 89 shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, according to the State Patrol out of Thief River Falls.
The driver of the Lumina, Robert Thunder, 25, of Redby, suffered minor injuries in the accident. A passenger, Sheldon Schoenborn, 43, of Redby, was taken to North Country Regional Hospital, the State Patrol said. He was listed in stable condition Tuesday afternoon.
When a passerby stopped at the scene in a 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse, to see if he or she could be of some help, Blue allegedly stole the vehicle and drove off, Hodapp said.
After he rolled the Eclipse, Blue then fled the scene on foot, the State Patrol said.
