Ethan man pleads guilty in high speed chase

The Ethan man who led police on a high speed chase earlier this year pleaded guilty Tuesday in Mitchell to a felony count of aggravated eluding.

Justin Jonathon Hofer, 30, led Mitchell police officers on a chase Feb. 5. Hofer agreed to a plea agreement with prosecutors to drop a pair of misdemeanor offenses. Aggravated eluding carries a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison and a $4,000 fine.

The chase was eventually called off by officers for safety reasons, as Hofer exceeded speeds of 100 mph and nearly struck several vehicles while ignoring traffic signals. He reported his vehicle stolen Feb. 6 and told authorities he had not been the one driving it during the chase. Officers later found Hofer’s vehicle in Lake Andes. He was charged for falsely reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor that was also dropped Tuesday as part of the plea agreement.

Hofer said he ran because of his record, which includes four DUIs and numerous driving offenses. His driving license was revoked for 25 years in 2007, as part of his fourth DUI sentence, but was reinstated in 2011.

Hofer will be sentenced Sept. 4.

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