Beltrami County (trfnews.i234.me) A police chase ended near Bemidji on February 12, 2026. The details are in a new court complaint.
Randy Arthur Thunder, 40, of Redby, is charged with second-degree DWI. The case is filed in Beltrami County District Court. The court file is 04-CR-26-430.
According to the complaint, dispatch calls came in at about 5:23 pm. A caller reported a reckless vehicle. Officers looked for a dark gray 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe. The SUV had a Red Lake license plate listed as JADYN.
The complaint says Red Lake Tribal Police tried to stop the SUV. The stop attempt was on Lumberjack Road near Highway 89. The driver did not stop, the complaint says. The SUV kept going west.
The complaint says the SUV stopped near a home on Alfalfa Road NW in Beltrami County. Investigators say Thunder was the only person inside. The complaint says he ran after the stop. Officers caught him about 50 feet away.
A Beltrami County deputy took custody after the stop, the complaint says. The deputy also learned Thunder had an active warrant. During a search, the deputy found a small baggie. The baggie had white residue, the complaint says.
While driving to the jail, Thunder became hard to wake, the complaint says. His breathing was shallow. The deputy called for EMS. The deputy stopped at the Dellwater Lake access.
The complaint says Thunder had a fast pulse. It says his pupils were very small. The deputy believed Thunder showed drug impairment. No field tests were done due to his condition.
Refusal allegation
EMS took Thunder to a Sanford emergency department in Bemidji, the complaint says. The deputy applied for a search warrant. The warrant sought a blood or urine test.
The complaint says a judge signed the warrant. Hospital staff then tried to draw blood. The complaint says Thunder pulled his arm away. The deputy treated that as a refusal.
After discharge, Thunder was taken to the Beltrami County Jail. The deputy requested a urine sample there. The complaint says Thunder refused again. The complaint says he wanted to sleep.
The charge is a gross misdemeanor. The complaint lists a maximum jail term of 364 days. It also lists a maximum fine of $3,000.
Other court history
The complaint says Thunder told medical staff he used meth and fentanyl. It also lists a prior DWI conviction from December 14, 2020. The complaint says he missed a hearing in another case. A warrant was issued in that file, court records say.
A criminal complaint is not a conviction. Thunder is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Read the DWI statute here: Minnesota Statute 169A.20.
Read the second-degree DWI law here: Minnesota Statute 169A.25.
Read the search-warrant testing law here: Minnesota Statute 171.177.
Search court records here: Minnesota Court Records Online.
Sanford location info is here: Sanford Bemidji Medical Center.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.