New Charges Filed Against Albany Man After December 12th Police Chase

(KNSI) – Samuel Zechariah Butler of Albany is now facing additional felony charges from an incident earlier this month that spanned several cities and townships in the St. Cloud area. The most serious involves fleeing law enforcement in a motor vehicle and causing someone’s death.

According to the criminal complaint, on Monday, December 12th, the 28-year-old Butler was first spotted by a sergeant with the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department on County Road 4 in St. Wendel Township at 10:51 a.m. Another driver said Butler was going the wrong way and driving erratically. The sergeant pursued him, but he cut a path through several yards to escape. The sergeant pulled back but remained on the lookout for Butler.

A short time later, sheriff’s personnel say in the complaint they were waved down by a construction crew nearby that said someone had just stolen one of their work trucks. Butler took out a street pole while escaping in the vehicle. The sergeant was able to look inside Butler’s blue Ford Explorer that he had abandoned. The sergeant found a pipe, a handheld blowtorch, and aluminum foil, which are common drug paraphernalia.

Sartell Police responded to the truck theft and saw Butler driving a vehicle that matched the description given by the construction crew on County Road 120 at approximately 11:00 a.m. The complaint says Butler fled again until he crashed into another vehicle in St. Cloud at the intersection of 36th Avenue North and 10th Street North.

Butler and the victim had to be taken to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment. The driver in the other vehicle never regained consciousness and died from his injuries on December 22nd. The victim suffered head trauma and both of his legs were broken following the accident.

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