KIMBALL, S.D. — Two Minnesota juveniles were taken into custody in Kimball after a three-county pursuit ended in a vehicle rollover Friday.
At approximately 11:45 a.m. Friday, the Davison County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a stolen Ford F-150 with Minnesota plates traveling westbound on Interstate 90.
Davison County Sheriff Steve Harr said a deputy from Davison County attempted to stop the vehicle when it took off.
As a pursuit ensued, authorities from Aurora and Brule County engaged in the pursuit, but Harr said as deputies continued west, growing concern of possibly icy road conditions led Davison County to terminate their involvement in the pursuit.
Approximately five miles after the Davison County deputy had terminated, the pursuit ended in a rollover near Kimball. The two juveniles were taken into custody and transported to the Brule County Jail in Chamberlain.
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Connor Severtson, the owner of the truck, lives in Luverne, Minnesota. He was enjoying a meal at a local bar at approximately 9:30 p.m. Thursday night when he got a call from the Rock County (Minnesota) Sheriff’s Office.
“I got a call about 15 minutes after I [arrived at the bar] that I had stolen gas from a gas station in Luverne,” Severtson said. “I walked outside and my truck was stolen.”
According to Severtson, somebody had reported to police that his truck had been seen driving west, so he took to Facebook to alert anyone he could.
“I guess they went to Sioux Falls and they went to a vape shop and broke into there,” Severtson said. “I guess they must’ve hung out in town there.”
Call logs provided by the Sioux Falls Police Department confirm authorities responded to a burglary alarm near the intersection of East 10th Street and South Van Eps Avenue at approximately 12:30 a.m. Friday morning.
Joshua Williston, manager of Kynd Co Vape & Smoke, said he was up late when he witnessed part of the alleged break-in on his live surveillance camera system.
In the footage, Williston said two individuals can be seen using a rock to smash through the business’ front door. The duo took the same rock and attempted to smash open a case containing tobacco and nicotine products, but the case didn’t break.
Williston said the two quickly decided to leave, and left with only one bottle of pop.
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The Sioux Falls Police Department said responding officers had seen a green Ford F-150, matching the description of Severtson’s vehicle, speeding away from the scene, but were unaware that a vehicle with a matching description was involved in a pursuit in Davison, Aurora and Brule Counties.
After the rollover, Severtson is now dealing with the loss of his truck, which he used primarily as a work truck. Because it wasn’t his main personal vehicle, he only kept liability insurance on it, meaning he won’t be receiving an insurance check for any damages.
“I only have liability insurance, so I’m not getting anything out of this,” Severtson said. “Insurance won’t even pay me a dime for anything.”
After traveling to Kimball to retrieve any belongings, he went and purchased a new truck to replace his F-150.
Though criminal charges filed against are not public record, and the Brule County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for a comment, Severtson hopes to charge one of the juveniles as an adult.
“They're obviously pretty dumb if they're gonna drive down the interstate,” Severtson said with a laugh. “That’s where everyone’s going to see you.”
The juveniles could face charges in Aurora, Brule, Davison and Minnehaha Counties, as well as in Rock County, Minnesota.
