Maple Grove Man Flees Police, Jumps From Moving Car: Police

Original post by Local Editor Becky Glander.

A Maple Grove man has been charged with first degree DUI after fleeing police from a moving car and running through a swamp. 

Robert Edward Dexter, 22, was charged in court with one count of felony first degree DUI refusing to test and one count of driving in violation of a restricted license, a gross misdemeanor.

Just before 1:30 a.m. on June 24, Eden Prairie officers clocked a car going 73 mph in a 60 mph zone near I-494 and North Valley View Road. The driver increased speed to 82 mph and passed the officers, according to the criminal complaint.

Officers put on their lights to pull the car over. It slowed to 15 mph and pulled over to the right. With the car still moving, Dexter suddenly opened the door and fell out, according to police. The car rolled off the highway into the ditch where it came to a rest.

Police yelled for him to stop, but Dexter allegedly got up, jumped a fence and ran through a Ford dealership parking lot and into a swamp. Officers located him in a thick bush near the Rainbow Foods parking lot.

Officers say Dexter refused two breath tests, one at the scene and one at the police department. A passenger in Dexter's vehicle confirmed that he was driving, according to court documents.

Dexter has three previous impaired driving convictions from 2009, 2011 and 2012. He was on active probation at the time and was not allowed to drink alcohol or drive without ignition interlock, which the car didn't have.

The penalty for the felony charge is between 3 to 7 years and/or $14,000.