A man has been sentenced to serve 1 year in county jail for a conviction of fleeing Washburn County law enforcement.
Zachary Dzimiela was charged with Class I Felony Vehicle Operator Flee/Elude Officer and Misdemeanor Resisting or Obstructing an Officer following an incident in January 2018 in which he failed to stop for a Wisconsin State Trooper and instead fled, first with his vehicle and ultimately on foot into a cornfield where he hid behind an electrical box.
Online circuit court records show that Dzimiela appeared on April 6, 2018, for a hearing in Washburn County Circuit Court regarding his criminal charges. Dzimiela entered a plea of guilty to the charge of Class I Felony Vehicle Operator Flee/Elude Officer, and the charge of Misdemeanor Resisting or Obstructing an Officer was dismissed but read-in.
Dzimiela is also charged with Class H Felony Take and Drive Vehicle without Consent in a Barron County Circuit Court Case, and online circuit court records indicate that Dzimiela's probation on a prior conviction for Felony Burglary was revoked in February of 2018 and he was sentenced to state prison. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections website does not list an estimated release date for Dzimiela at the time of this post.
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Man Facing Felony Charges After Fleeing from Law Enforcement
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 | DrydenWire
Instead of stopping for a Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper, a man chose to flee and is now facing felony charges.
Zachary Dzimiela, of Rice Lake, WI, is charged with Class I Felony Attempt to Flee a Traffic Officer, and Misdemeanor Obstructing an Officer in Washburn County Circuit Court.
These charges stem from an incident on January 2, 2018, at around 8:30 PM, when a Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper noted expired registration on a vehicle traveling on County Highway A. The Trooper ran a records check, and also confirmed that the registered owner of the vehicle had a revoked driver’s license.
When the Trooper activated the squad car lights, instead of pulling over, the vehicle accelerated and pulled into a driveway, at which time the Trooper saw the driver’s door of the vehicle open, and the van continued traveling down the driveway until it struck a tree.
A Washburn County Sheriff’s Deputy and a Spooner Police Officer arrived on scene to assist. According to the criminal complaint filed against Dzimiela, the officers tracked Dzimiela in the snow for approximately 1 mile, at which time they located him lying down in the snow behind an electrical box on the edge of a cornfield.
Dzimiela was placed under arrest without any further incident and transported to the Washburn County Jail. Non-criminal charges of Reckless Driving-Endanger Safety; Alighting from Moving Vehicle were also filed against Dzimiela.
At a recent preliminary examination hearing, the Court found probable cause to bind Dzimiela’s charges over for trial. He is scheduled to appear next in April 2018.
Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Last Update: Apr 11, 2018 10:59 am CDT
