WORTHINGTON - A Minneapolis man involved in a March high-speed pursuit that ended near Luverne will spend five years in a Minnesota state prison after being convicted of possession of ammunition or any firearm after being convicted for a previous crime of violence.
Sean J. Symouksavanh, 27, was sentenced Tuesday in Nobles County District Court in accordance with his plea agreement. Execution of his sentence will run concurrent with sentences imposed in pending cases in Anoka, Hennepin and Cottonwood counties involving alleged domestic assault and violation of a no-contact order.
Symouksavanh is entitled to good time and supervised release. Two other charges were released as part of the plea agreement.
Prior to sentencing, Fifth Judicial District Judge Gordon Moore called the scenario - in which Symouksavanh and his cousin, Mary R. Weddell, fled a Worthington police officer and were stopped approximately 30 miles later near Luverne - problematic on a variety of levels.
“The good thing here is that no member of the public was injured throughout this fiasco,” Moore said of the chase that ensued through Rushmore, Adrian and Luverne before a Minnesota trooper stopped the duo using a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT).
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After searching the vehicle, multiple weapons, drugs and drug paraphernalia were discovered. A black Ruger pistol and magazine suspected to have been thrown from the vehicle throughout the pursuit was located on the side of Nobles County 3 between Adrian and Luverne the next morning.
Moore articulated his concerns regarding Symouksavanh’s reliance on drugs, and encouraged him to use the prison system’s resources while he’s serving his sentence to avoid a lifetime of incarceration.
The companion case involving Weddell, 23, of Sioux Falls, S.D. remains active in Nobles County District Court. Weddell submitted guilty pleas to fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, a felony, and fifth-degree controlled substance crime, a gross misdemeanor. Misdemeanor possession of brass knuckles was dismissed.
Weddell’s sentencing is scheduled for June 11 in Nobles County District Court.
