Published August 17, 2006 01:14 am - A top Vikings receiver, accused of leading a police chase so fast he allegedly left officers in his wake while their squad cars reached speeds as high as 120 mph, was calm and collected during an appearance in Nicollet County District Court Wednesday.
Viking faces felony charge
Police say Koren Robinson was driving more than 120 mph during chase
By Dan Nienaber
The Free Press
ST PETER
—
A top Vikings receiver, accused of leading a police chase so fast he allegedly left officers in his wake while their squad cars reached speeds as high as 120 mph, was calm and collected during an appearance in Nicollet County District Court Wednesday.
A 15-hour stay in the county’s jail came to an end for Koren Lynard Robinson, 26, Wednesday afternoon after he made a court appearance for several charges related to a police chase from St. Peter to Mankato Tuesday night.
Robinson, who was brought to court in a bright orange jail jump suit and leg shackles, was released after posting a $50,000 bail bond.
He left the jail with his wife, Joy, and a friend. Robinson’s attorney, Joe Tamburino, would only say Robinson has the support of his team and his family, and is anticipating his return to the Vikings.
“There is no comment on the case whatsoever,” Tamburino said.
A field breath test showed Robinson had a blood-alcohol concentration of .11 as he was being arrested in Mankato, the criminal complaint said. A later test, completed just after midnight in St. Peter, showed Robinson had a blood-alcohol concentration of .09. The test was taken after he spoke to an attorney about an hour after his arrest. The legal blood-alcohol concentration limit for driving is .08.
The incident was labeled as “unfortunate” by Vikings officials. Owner Zygi Wilf has vowed to change the team’s image after players had a long string of run-ins with law enforcement, including a lewd boat party on Lake Minnetonka last year. Robinson was likely attempting to return to training camp on the Minnesota State University campus before the team’s 11 p.m. curfew. Players had most of Tuesday off after playing a pre-season game in Minneapolis Monday night.
“One of the reasons that I’m here in this job and one of the mandates from the Wilf family is that they want this ship run right,” Vikings Coach Brad Childress said Wednesday at training camp. “I’m trying to create a culture of accountability. You can’t drive when you’ve been drinking.”
The chase started at about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday after a St. Peter police officer reported seeing a car speeding into St. Peter from the north on Highway 169. An initial radar reading showed the car was going about 105 mph in a 55-mph zone, the criminal complaint said.
A second St. Peter officer picked up the car as it passed the Econofoods downtown parking lot. That officer reported the car, which he was able to identify as a blue four-door BMW sedan, was traveling 66 mph in a 30 mph zone.
A pursuit started and Mankato police officers were called to assist as the car sped out of the city. At one point, as the three vehicles were navigating a set of curves south of St. Peter, one of the officers reported going 120 mph and, “rapidly losing ground on the BMW.” That’s when the officers lost sight of the car.
A Mankato police officer was pulling into the Happy Chef parking lot in North Mankato when a blue sedan passed him on Highway 169. A radar reading at that point said the car was traveling 86 mph in the 50 mph zone. The Mankato officer was able to see a portion of the license plate as he began a pursuit through a red light at the Webster Avenue intersection.
The car hit speeds higher than 100 mph before the car was lost again by police at a curve near the Veterans Memorial Bridge, the complaint said. Another Mankato officer reported seeing a blue BMW speeding onto Riverfront Drive from Highway 169. The chase continued at slower speeds closer to 40 mph before the car turned on to Blue Earth Street and stopped.
Robinson, whose driver’s license was suspended by North Carolina in 2005, was immediately arrested.
A felony charge of fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, and misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving and driving after suspension have been filed against Robinson. With two separate charges of driving while intoxicated, Robinson is facing a total of six criminal counts.