BISMARCK, N.D. — A man who admitted to being an accessory in the severe beating of a South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper was recently saved from a burning car by a trooper in Washington state.
Chase Sukert, 24, of Rento lost control of his Mercedes and crashed while driving 122 mph on Interstate 90 on Thursday, the Washington State Patrol said in a statement.
Sukert’s car caught fire when it slammed into a semitrailer parked on the shoulder of an exit ramp near Roslyn, Washington, according to the patrol. Trooper Darin Fehlhafer, who had been trying to overtake the speeding car, removed a severely injured Sukert from the vehicle and pulled him to safety.
Sukert was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with unspecified injuries. The hospital did not immediately have a condition update Monday. Washington Trooper Brian Moore said Sukert had been listed in critical condition over the weekend.
Sukert’s attorney in South Dakota, Shiloh MacNally, said Monday that she was not aware of the incident and had no information on Sukert’s condition or on whether he had an attorney representing him in Washington.
No charges were immediately filed but the incident is still under investigation and charges are pending, Moore said Monday.
Sukert pleaded guilty last month to a drug charge and to being an accessory in the Oct. 24, 2015, assault of Trooper Zachary Bader during an Interstate 90 traffic stop east of Rapid City, South Dakota. Prosecutors agreed to drop illegal use of a firearm and other drug charges. Sukert faces up to 20 years in prison and $40,000 in fines when he is sentenced in September.
Authorities say the traffic stop led to the recovery of more than 50 pounds of marijuana, $33,000 in cash and a handgun. Bader spent two weeks at a Rapid City hospital being treated for injuries that included skull and facial fractures.
Sukert’s sister, Desiree, 26, of Renton, and Jonathan Melendez, 22, of Kent, Washington, also pleaded guilty to the same charges. All three have agreed to testify against a fourth suspect, Donald Willingham, 34, also of Renton. He faces the most serious charges in the case including attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed on $5 million bond.
