Blackduck man charged after 22.5-mile Beltrami County chase
Robert Shane Langford, 42, was charged after deputies chased a vehicle 22.5 miles through western Beltrami County before an arrest in Blackduck.
Robert Shane Langford, 42, of Blackduck, was charged in Beltrami County District Court with gross misdemeanor driving after cancellation-inimical to public safety after authorities determined he drove while his Minnesota driving privileges were canceled.
In Minnesota, a cancellation labeled inimical to public safety means the state has taken away a person’s driving privileges because officials have determined the driver should not be on the road, and the offense is filed as a gross misdemeanor rather than the misdemeanor used for ordinary driving-after-suspension cases.
Langford did poorly on a roadside sobriety test, was arrested and taken to the local police department. The suspect vehicle failed to stop, leading to a pursuit of about 22.5 miles through western Beltrami County and into another area before deputies caught up with it.
The case comes as Blackduck’s policing has already shifted to the county level. The city voted June 8 to eliminate its police department and contract with Beltrami County for law enforcement services, a move that left county deputies handling local enforcement in and around Blackduck.
Minnesota law treats a temporary suspension differently from a cancellation tied to public safety. Suspensions are generally charged as misdemeanors under state law, while cancellation-inimical to public safety is filed as a gross misdemeanor.
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