Bagley Man Charged After Allegedly Defecating in Bemidji Patrol Car

A 23-year-old Bagley man faces multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after Bemidji officers say he intentionally defecated in a patrol car, rendering the vehicle out of service as a biohazard and disrupting police operations.

Police arrested Sha-Lu Nuday Steeprock on Jan. 12 after spotting him at a business on Paul Bunyan Drive NW. Officers said they recognized Steeprock as having outstanding warrants and approached him around 8:06 p.m. The criminal complaint says Steeprock fled on foot after being told he was under arrest, slipped on snow and continued to resist when officers caught him.

During a search, officers discovered a bag containing about 0.95 grams of a white powder that field-tested positive for fentanyl. After being cleared at a hospital, Steeprock was placed in a patrol car. Officers report that he told them he needed to use the bathroom and that shortly after they noticed an odor and heard grunting and the sound of running liquid. When the officer told him to stop, Steeprock replied 'no,' according to the complaint.

Officers found a large amount of fecal matter inside the patrol car. The complaint says officers spent about an hour cleaning, but the odor and stains remained. The vehicle was marked as a biohazard and removed from patrol until it could be professionally detailed and sanitized. The complaint states the incident caused a substantial disruption to police operations.

Steeprock made his first court appearance on Jan. 14 and now faces charges that include first-degree damage to property involving a public safety vehicle, fifth-degree drug possession, fleeing police and obstructing legal process. First-degree damage to property, when it involves a public safety vehicle, is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison or a $10,000 fine; the drug possession charge carries the same maximum penalty. Court records also list pending cases for fleeing police, DWI and assault, as well as prior convictions including DWI, assault, domestic assault and giving false information to police.

For Bemidji and Beltrami County residents, the incident highlights how a single arrest can ripple through local public safety resources. A patrol vehicle taken out of service for professional cleaning reduces available patrol capacity and can stretch staffing during busy periods. The presence of fentanyl in the arrested person’s possession adds a public safety and evidence dimension to the case for prosecutors and investigators.

The case will proceed through the county court system; the charges and the criminal history now on file will shape how prosecutors and defense attorneys handle upcoming hearings. For neighbors and commuters near Paul Bunyan Drive NW, the immediate effects were limited to the police response that night, but the broader impact centers on how agencies manage biohazard cleanups, patrol staffing and court workloads when incidents unexpectedly remove resources from active duty.