A high-speed chase through Sherburne County ended with a red Subaru smashed along Highway 10 near Proctor Avenue and investigators pulling cash, guns and suspected methamphetamine from the wreck. Deputies say the driver bolted on foot, but they eventually found him hiding under a deck at a nearby home and took him into custody. The incident has now produced a criminal complaint that spells out what deputies say they saw and seized at the scene.
According to a criminal complaint detailed by MN Crime, deputies were first alerted when a motorist reported a red Subaru swerving, running red lights and heading east on Highway 10 near Proctor Avenue. The complaint identifies the driver as 44-year-old Vernon Paul Spoden of Crystal and says deputies tried to pull him over, only to have the stop turn into a high-speed pursuit through parts of Sherburne County before the Subaru crashed. Spoden allegedly ran from the wreck, but officers found him under a nearby deck and took him to a hospital for treatment, the complaint says.
Local public records also show recent contacts with law enforcement for a man by that name. Wright County booking data lists entries for Vernon Spoden in May and June 2026, and a Stearns County court calendar shows docket activity under the Spoden name earlier this spring. Those records do not duplicate the Sherburne County complaint but do corroborate that the defendant has appeared on multiple county dockets in the region.
What Deputies Say They Pulled From the Subaru
Per the complaint, deputies removed roughly 30.74 grams of suspected methamphetamine from the Subaru, including a 29.08-gram bag, along with marijuana, marijuana wax, a digital scale and other drug paraphernalia. They also report recovering a loaded .22-caliber revolver, three rifles stored in a camouflage pouch and about 92 rounds of .22 long rifle ammunition. Inside the vehicle, investigators say they also found an open bottle of whisky and an empty beer can. According to the complaint, they seized about $44,318 in cash stashed in a thermos, a tube and a Nintendo Switch case. The driver allegedly refused to provide blood or urine after officers obtained a warrant, and the complaint notes that Spoden has a prior fifth-degree controlled-substance conviction and a prior DWI conviction. Charges related to the crash and the evidence were filed on June 16, 2026, according to the complaint as reported by MN Crime.
Charges and Legal Context
The complaint lists seven counts, including fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, second-degree controlled-substance possession, possessing ammunition or a firearm after a felony conviction, refusing a chemical test and several driver's-license offenses. Minnesota law bars certain people from possessing firearms or ammunition after qualifying convictions and sets rules for restoring those rights. See Minn. Stat. §624.713 on firearm possession disqualifications and Minn. Stat. §609.165 on restoration of civil rights. The controlled-substance statutes set weight thresholds that distinguish second- and first-degree drug crimes. See Minn. Stat. §152.022, and note that penalties vary widely depending on the specific counts and a defendant's prior record.
Wright County public notices list a Vernon Paul Spoden as the subject of a May arrest on a Wright County DWI warrant, and the Stearns County calendar reflects other docket entries under the Spoden name earlier this year. Prosecutors will be able to consider those prior contacts as they make charging decisions and set conditions in any upcoming hearings. The Sherburne County complaint says no court date had been scheduled for the new filing at the time the complaint was submitted.
The case remains active, and court filings will determine what happens next. This report will be updated as hearings are set and additional records become public.
