Car Chase Suspect Appears In Kearney County Court

One of the suspects in the carjacking and high speed chase that raced through Minden on Friday, January 27, Petr Strizheus, 19, of Harrisburg, S.D. was in court at 11:45 a.m. on March 22, facing updated charges.
Judge Michael Burns presided over the hearing, during which Kearney County Public Defender Tom Lieske, appointed by the court as council for Strizheus, requested a preliminary hearing for the case, which Burns scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on April 26.
County Attorney Neleigh Korth, who will be prosecuting, did not object to a consolidated hearing with co-defendant Aleksandr Voznyuk, 22, of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Both Strizheus and Voznyuk are charged with one count of attempted second-degree murder of a state patrol officer, three counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony, two counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm, one count of receiving stolen property of more than $1,500 and one count of criminal mischief to cause intentional property damage.
It was thought Strizheus would avoid the attempted murder charge as there was some doubt of his use of the weapon, but it was decided the men were equally culpable for the events leading up to and during the high speed pursuit.
The first six counts are Class I-D and I-C felonies, each carrying a maximum 50-year prison term, The other two are a Class III felony, which comes with a maximum 20 years, and a Class IV felony, including up to a five-year sentence.

For the full story, read The Minden Courier