Crime & Safety
Plymouth Man Charged with DWI, Fleeing Police on Christmas Day
Police say Jayson Bennet Huth had a blood-alcohol content of three times the legal limit when he led an officer on a chase through Crystal residential neighborhoods on Dec. 25.
A Plymouth man whom police say had a blood-alcohol content of three times the legal limit has been charged with leading an officer on a Christmas Day high-speed chase through a residential area in Crystal.
Jayson Bennet Huth, 49, is charged with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, a felony with a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine, and third-degree DWI, a gross misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.
A Crystal police officer on patrol spotted a car speeding past him on 36th Avenue North at about 4:15 p.m. Dec. 25, according to the criminal complaint, signed by Crystal Police Detective Robert Hodge.
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The officer turned his squad car around and began pursuing the car, turning on his emergency lights and blasting his air horn in an attempt to get the driver to stop. The car briefly slowed down just before it reached Regent Avenue, then abruptly turned onto Regent and sped off again before hitting a curb and coming to a stop.
The officer approached the vehicle and noted that the driver – later identified as Huth – "appeared scared, with his eyes wide, slouching with his hands beneath the seat," according to the complaint. As the officer shouted commands at Huth, he restarted his car and sped off again.
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The officer again pursued Huth in a chase that reached speeds of 70 mph through residential areas. During the pursuit, Huth ran stop signs and narrowly missed other vehicles before crashing into a retaining wall, according to the complaint.
The officer used his squad car to pin Huth’s car against the retaining wall. When Huth resisted attempts to arrest him, officers used a stun gun to subdue him.
Huth agreed to submit to a preliminary breath test, which registered .24 percent, three times the legal limit of .08 percent. A later breath test at the Crystal police station showed a blood-alcohol content of .20 percent, according to the complaint.
Huth has been released from custody on a $25,000 bond. His next hearing is scheduled Jan. 11 in Hennepin County District Court.
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