Hearing scheduled for man accused in crime spree

A 25-year-old Red Lake man accused of burglarizing a garage, stealing a vehicle, burning a truck and fleeing police officers in November 2010 recently appeared in court.

Fabian Wayne English pleaded not guilty Feb. 21 to three felony charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree arson and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

His pretrial is set for April 3.

According to the criminal complaint:

Early Nov. 25, a Turtle River Township resident awoke to see a Buick Electra on fire in his driveway. He also discovered that his 2001 Ford pickup had been stolen. Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the arson and vehicle theft call.

Court documents accuse English of stealing the Ford pickup and driving to a nearby residence, where he broke into a detached garage and stole two firearms and other items. He put the guns and other items he had stolen from other area break-ins into a 2007 Chevrolet pickup at the burgled residence. He then set fire to the Ford pickup and drove away.

A deputy followed the tracks of the Ford pickup to the property where English was making his getaway in the stolen Chevrolet pickup with the stolen goods. The deputy saw the Chevrolet pickup drive through the yard to evade law enforcement. The deputy turned and chased English, who drove the Chevrolet pickup at speeds of more than 90 miles per hour.

The high-speed chase lasted two hours and involved multiple law enforcement officers from several agencies.

The pursuit lasted about two hours with Red Lake Police officers picking up the chase when English drove across the Red Lake Reservation line. Red Lake officers eventually cornered English, who then tried to escape on foot. He was arrested after an exchange of gunfire, during which he was shot in the ankle. English was treated at North Country Regional Hospital.

In a subsequent Mirandized statement, English acknowledged breaking into a garage, stealing a pick-up truck, burning another pick-up and fleeing the deputy.