Lake of the Woods: Fargo Man Charged After DWI Pursuit

Lake of the Woods County (trfnews.i234.me) — A Fargo man is facing multiple charges after authorities say he fled from a traffic stop and was later arrested for alleged impaired driving in Lake of the Woods County.

According to court documents, Mark Thomas Erholtz, 57, of Fargo, North Dakota, was charged in Lake of the Woods County District Court following a July 4, 2026, incident.

Vehicle Allegedly Reached 91 MPH

The complaint states that a vehicle was spotted traveling above the speed limit on Minnesota Highway 11.

Authorities said the vehicle was traveling about 71 miles per hour in a 60 mph zone.

After emergency lights were activated, the driver allegedly did not stop.

The complaint states that the vehicle continued increasing the distance from the patrol vehicle.

Officials said the vehicle turned onto several county roads and reached speeds up to 91 mph.

The driver allegedly left the roadway multiple times during the pursuit.

A stop attempt using a precision immobilization technique was unsuccessful, according to the complaint.

The vehicle later became stuck in a ditch and came to a stop.

Driver Allegedly Admitted Being Drunk

After the vehicle stopped, authorities identified the driver as Mark Thomas Erholtz.

The complaint states that Erholtz appeared to have slow speech and poor balance.

Officials reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol.

According to court documents, Erholtz allegedly made statements admitting he was intoxicated.

The complaint states he refused field sobriety testing and a preliminary breath test.

Authorities later requested a breath sample at the Lake of the Woods County Jail.

Court documents state Erholtz refused to provide the required breath sample.

Four Charges Filed

Erholtz faces a felony charge of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

He also faces gross misdemeanor charges for DWI test refusal and violating restricted license rules.

A misdemeanor DWI charge was also filed.

The complaint states that his driving privileges had alcohol-related restrictions.

His vehicle was towed and held by the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff’s Office.

All charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

More information about Minnesota court records is available through the Minnesota Judicial Branch.

I’m Adrian Cole, reporting for TRF News.