WORTHINGTON — A warrant has been issued by Murray County Fifth District Court for Nicholas Wayne Muyskens, 25, of Balaton, following a Nov. 13 incident in the city of Slayton.
Muyskens, who has a criminal history of escape from custody and fleeing a peace officer, faces three counts, including fleeing a peace office in a motor vehicle, reckless driving and speeding
According to the criminal complaint, a Slayton police officer was notified that Muyskens was in Slayton. Law enforcement was looking for him as a result of a domestic assault that had occured in Tracy on Nov. 11.
The police officer found Muyskens’ vehicle near the back alley of a residence on Norwood Avenue and requested two deputies from the Murray County Sheriff’s Office to assist. Shortly after making the request, the officer noticed the car back out of the alley and drive toward him.
The officer drove down the alley and met the car head-on, and saw two men inside the vehicle, including Muyskens.
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When the officer asked Muyskens to exit the vehicle, Muyskens reportedly shifted the car into reverse, accelerated rapidly, executed a 180-degree turn in the middle of the alley and drove away.
The officer began a pursuit that traversed through Slayton, onto U.S. 59 and onto a series of county tar and gravel roads before they lost sight of the Muyskens vehicle.
Muyskens whereabouts remained unknown at the time the warrant was issued.
He was convicted in Lyon County of escape from custody on July 31, 2018, and he was convicted in Renville County of misdemeanor fleeing from a peace officer on June 10, 2021.
For the felony-level offense of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, Muyskens faces a maximum three years and one day in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. The reckless driving charge is a misdemeanor, with a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The count of speeding, a petty misdemeanor, includes a maximum sentence of $300.
