ALDEN -- A Mancelona man was hospitalized after he crashed his car during an Antrim County police chase.
Delbert John Carter, 19, is in critical condition at Munson Medical Center after a Saturday afternoon crash, a hospital spokesman said. Police said he ran his Pontiac Grand Am off a curve on South East Torch Lake Drive near Alden at about 5 p.m.
Antrim County Undersheriff Dave Kopkau said a deputy allegedly saw Carter speeding on Alden Highway near Lake of the Woods Road. Carter allegedly sped faster when the deputy turned on his lights and tried to make a stop, Kopkau said.
"This guy was pouring more coal to it," Kopkau said. "Most people (slow down)."
The deputy chased Carter west along Alden Highway for about six miles, Kopkau said. The officer believes Carter's speed reached more than 100 miles per hour before he crashed on the outskirts of Alden.
The deputy was right to chase Carter, Kopkau said.
"It appears the officer conducted himself properly," Kopkau said. "He did everything by the book."
The risk of letting a speeding driver get away can outweigh the risk of chasing them, Kopkau contended, especially if the subject is armed, violent or otherwise dangerous. Carter was unarmed, authorities said.
"You always have things in the back of your mind," Kopkau said. "Why is this guy running?"
Antrim County Prosecutor Charles Koop on Aug. 1 charged Carter with home invasion, larceny and burglary counts stemming from a September 2007 incident, he said.
Carter also spent several months in prison after being convicted in early 2006 of possessing a loaded firearm in or upon a vehicle, Michigan Department of Corrections records show.
A strict no-chase policy would cause problems for everyday traffic stops, Kopkau said. He believes more people would attempt to get away from police if they're aware the police can't chase them.
"What do you think is going to happen to the people we try and stop?" he said.
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