(Arnolds Park)– A Spirit Lake man faces charges after leading officers on a pursuit Monday while driving a go-cart.
Authorities say the go-cart had been stolen from the Arnolds Park Amusement Park.
A sheriff’s deputy was southbound on Highway 71 when he spotted the go-cart being driven northbound on the highway. The deputy attempted to stop it, but the driver continued northbound on Arnolds Park city streets, parking lots and back yards.
The pursuit finally ended when the driver, 42-year-old Mark Torjesen of Spirit Lake, collided with a parked vehicle and then a house in the 70 block of Hinshaw Street in Arnolds Park.
Torjesen was arrested following a short foot pursuit.
Torjesen was charged by the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office with operating while intoxicated…first offense; operating a non-registered vehicle; failure to use headlamps; and failure to have a valid driver’s license.
Charges filed against Torjesen by the Arnolds Park Police Department include burglary in the third degree; theft in the first degree; possession of burglar’s tools; and interference with official acts.
Torjesen was booked into the Dickinson county jail on $19,000 bond. He’s also being held on a warrant out of Florida.
Damage to the go-cart was estimated at $800; the vehicle sustained an estimated $250 in damage.
The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Arnolds Park and Okoboji Police Departments.
