The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office released a statement this morning about an arrest that took place this morning at 11:17 a.m.

In the statement authorities said that a Meeker County deputy attempted to stop a motorcycle that was traveling 35 miles per hour over the posted speed limit in the City of Darwin.  The driver of the motorcycle turned off on side streets in Darwin and failed to stop for the deputy.

The driver allegedly then headed north out of Darwin on CSAH 14 reaching speed well in excess of 100 miles.  The pursuit ended when the driver drove through a fence and put the motorcycle down in a pasture.  The driver, who was identified as Brady Lietzau, 23, of Darwin, was apprehended without further incident.

The sheriff’s office said Lietzau was booked into the Meeker County Jail on charges of felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, driving after revocation, and 4th-degree criminal damage to property.  He was awaiting a first court appearance.

The CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force, in a press release, said members seized 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine and arrested two men after executing search warrants in Meeker County.

Authorities say 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine was seized and two men were arrested after execution of two search warrants in and near Darwin.

According to a news release from Sgt. Ross Ardoff, commander of the CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force, agents executed two search warrants Wednesday, Sept. 20, in an investigation related to drug trafficking within the eastern portion of the Task Force’s service area in Meeker County.

According to Ardoff, the search warrants were for an address in the city of Darwin and a rural Darwin residence.

During the investigation, a 64-year-old Darwin man was arrested for first-degree drug charges. According to the news release, the male has an additional first-degree controlled substance charge stemming from a separate incident in March of 2023 within Meeker County.

A 54-year-old man from Litchfield was also arrested on several outstanding warrants, including first-degree controlled substance cases out of Le Sueur and Meeker counties.

The Drug and Gang Task Force was assisted by the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office in this investigation, which is still ongoing and active at this time, according to Ardoff.

One person was injured when a tractor and car collided on Highway 12 in Meeker County Thursday night, according to the Minnesota State Patrol (MSP).

MSP said 84-year-old Patrick Casey of St. Paul was driving a car eastbound on Highway 12 in Dassel Township and was taken to Meeker Memorial Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Seventy-two-year-old Dwight Dahlman of Dassel was driving a tractor eastbound on Highway 12. He was not injured.

The crash happened just before 9 p.m.