Burnsville Woman Charged with Fleeing Police—for Two-Tenths of a Mile

A Burnsville woman has been charged with leading police on a chase that lasted for two-tenths of a mile, telling police that her behavior was “normal driving” for her.

Martina Antionette Farris, 24, is charged with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, a felony with a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Farris is also charged with three misdemeanors: driving with a revoked license, careless driving and driving without insurance, each of which has a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, a Burnsville police officer on patrol Sept. 8 passed a car with a loud exhaust system, and the driver–later identified as Farris–made eye contact with the officer. When the officer checked the car’s license plate, he discovered that the car’s registered owner had a revoked driver’s license.

The officer made a U-turn and tried to catch up to the car, which was driving much faster and was much farther ahead than the officer believed it would have been had it been traveling at a “normal speed.”

The officer caught up to the car as it made a quick right turn, failing yield to another vehicle. The officer turned on his overhead lights and accelerated to catch up to the car, which made a sharp turn in front of another oncoming vehicle. The driver of that car had to brake suddenly to avoid a collision, according to the complaint.

The officer pulled in behind Farris as she parked in a stall at an apartment complex, and asked her why she took off when she saw him and why she cut off the other vehicle. Farris replied that it was “normal driving” for her, according to the complaint.

The complaint says Farris led the officer on a high-speed chase that lasted two-tenths of a mile.

Farris has been released from custody on her promise to make all future court appearances. An omnibus hearing in her case is scheduled Oct. 9 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.