Mantorville, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Dodge County man has been sentenced for a felony conviction stemming from a law enforcement chase last year that included multiple attempts using Tasers and pepper balls to subdue him.

Court records say the pursuit began on December 11, 2024, after a State Trooper attempted to serve a DNA search warrant on 49-year-old Kyle Steven Eckhoff. The criminal complaint in the case indicates the trooper spotted a rental car associated with the Dodge Center man at an apartment complex and then waited for him to come outside.

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The trooper stated that Eckhoff got into a vehicle after leaving the residence and was seen rapidly accelerating to pass a truck, prompting the trooper to initiate a traffic stop. The criminal complaint says Eckhoff responded by speeding away at about 90 mph.

photo by Andy Brownell
photo by Andy Brownell
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The trooper broke off the pursuit, and a Dodge County Sheriff's Sergeant later located the rental vehicle in Claremont and saw Eckhoff come out from behind a garage. That led to a confrontation, and the law officer eventually used his Taser in an effort to take Eckhoff into custody. The criminal complaint says that despite being knocked to the ground, Eckhoff got up and "squared up in an aggressive stance" before he got back into the rental car and sped away.

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(stock photo by Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images)
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That was followed by a pursuit involving multiple law enforcement officers, during which a State Trooper deployed stop sticks and flattened one of the tires on the vehicle Eckhoff was driving. However, he continued to flee, with sparks shooting out from the wheel holding the deflated tire.

READ MORE: $75K Bail for Dodge County Man After Multi-Agency Pursuit

When Eckhoff eventually stopped, the criminal complaint says he was seen reaching into the backseat of the car, and a Dodge County deputy fired five rounds of pepper balls at him when he ignored orders to stop. Eckhoff then approached the deputy with "an apparent attitude to attack."

By the Time he was Subdued, the Law Officers Involved Reported Using Pepper Balls and Multiple Shocks From Tasers

The deputy reported that he then deployed his Taser and was forced to deliver a second shock when Eckhoff attempted to get back up. At that point, Eckhoff was subdued, handcuffed, and placed in a squad car, where he bit off swab sticks placed in his mouth by a State Trooper attempting to collect his DNA.

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Eckhoff entered a guilty plea to a single felony count of fleeing police in April. He has now been sentenced to five years on probation and was ordered to pay a $300 fine. He was also given a 139-day jail sentence, but that was erased with credit for the time he has already spent in custody.

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