Charges: Bath salts found in stolen car after Minnetrista chase

A Wisconsin man is charged with attempting to outrun police in a stolen car on Highway 7 in Minnetrista, Minn. The chase ended in a crash and police found what appeared to be bath salts in the car, driven by 20-year-old Christopher Bong of Eau Claire, Wis.

The chase started when multiple drivers reported a white Oldsmobile driving erratically on westbound Highway 7 at about 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug, 28. The driver was reportedly lying down and crossing over the lines of the road.

A Minnetrista police officer followed Bong off the highway into a nearby Holiday gas station. Bong drove around the gas station before speeding up and driving back onto County Road 92, then turning back onto Highway 7 and reaching speeds of 100 mph.

Bong eventually lost control of the Oldsmobile while driving east on Highway 7, crashing into another car headed in the opposite direction. Both cars ended up in the ditch.

Both Bong and the passenger, 34-year-old Sheree Lynn Palomaki, were in and out of consciousness when officers found their vehicle. Bong was transported to a hospital in Carver County following the crash.

Police say both the car and its license plates were stolen. They also found what appeared to be bath salts, a bag of sugar, a Rubbermaid tote and a number of prescription pill bottles and pills in the car.

Bong is charged with receiving stolen property and fleeing a police officer. He is also being charged for damage to the hospital after attempting to escape through the ceiling.