SALEM - An arrest was made in mid-December after a vehicle chase near Salem reached speeds of over 100 mph.
Jorden Eich, 21, of Salem, was arrested on Dec. 11 after allegedly fleeing from a McCook County Deputy in a chase that began on Highway 38 near Salem.
At about midnight, the deputy began following Eich's vehicle. Soon after, Eich turned onto a gravel road and accelerated quickly, court documents state.
The chase lasted for "many miles and many turns," and Eich "failed to stop at multiple stop signs," court documents state. Speeds ranged from 70 mph to more than 100 mph, and both vehicles left the ground completely one time.
Eich stopped on 248th Street, just east of 446th Avenue, about five miles northeast of Salem. An 18-year-old passenger allegedly convinced Eich to stop.
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The deputy then searched the vehicle and allegedly found a loaded shotgun in the front seat, marijuana paraphernalia and beer cans and alcohol in the back seat.
A preliminary breath test revealed Eich's blood-alcohol content to be 0.054 percent. The legal limit to drive in South Dakota is 0.08 percent, but Eich failed four field-sobriety tests and was 20 years old at the time of the incident.
Eich was charged with aggravated eluding, a class 6 felony punishable upon conviction by up to two years in prison and a $4,000 fine; reckless driving and possession of a loaded firearm while intoxicated, class 1 misdemeanors each punishable upon conviction by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine; and first-offense DUI under 21 years old, speeding, failing to stop at an intersection, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of alcohol by a minor and giving alcohol to a minor, class 2 misdemeanors each punishable upon conviction by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.
