Crime & Safety

Woman Sentenced After High-Speed Chase in Minnetonka

Anna Elizabeth Nyenhuis pleaded guilty to endangering a child and second-degree DWI.

A St. Louis Park woman, who police say , was sentenced last week.

Anna Elizabeth Nyenhuis, 38, was convicted of two gross misdemeanors: endangering a child (situation could cause harm or death) and second-degree DWI. 

Nyenhuis was sentenced to 365 days in the Hennepin County Workhouse, but the judge stayed most of the sentence. She will serve 45 days with credit for three of them. She is not allowed to use alcohol or drugs and will be randomly tested. She will also attend Alcoholics Anonymous.

According to the criminal complaint, a Minnetonka police officer on patrol pulled up behind Nyenhuis’ car on Jan. 2 and noticed that the car’s registration had expired. The officer activated the squad car’s lights, and Nyenhuis pulled into a nearby parking lot.

The officer told Nyenhuis why he had stopped her and asked for her driver’s license and car registration. She told him she didn’t have them, but said the car was insured, according to the complaint.

The officer told Nyenhuis to stay in her car, but as he began walking back toward his squad car, she sped away with her 9-year-old daughter in the car with her. The officer began pursuing her through a residential area at speeds approaching 65 mph, the complaint says.

During the pursuit, Nyenhuis’ car veered into the oncoming lane of traffic, forcing a number of vehicles onto the shoulder to avoid head-on collisions, according to the complaint. She finally stopped more than a mile from the initial stop.

As the officer put Nyenhuis into the squad car, he noticed a strong odor of alcohol on her breath, the complaint says. Tests showed a blood-alcohol content of .144.

Nyenhuis's criminal record includes a 2009 conviction for DWI.


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