Man in black attempts to hijack snowplow

Plow driver had stopped to render aid, MnDOT said.

By Tim Harlow and Joy Powell, Star Tribune staff writers

Last update: December 6, 2007 - 11:20 PM

It's common for Minnesota Department of Transportation snowplow drivers to stop and aid people in distress.

So when Steven Jensen saw a man standing in the middle of Hwy. 210 Tuesday night near Battle Lake, he did what many of his fellow drivers do. He stopped to help.

That's when things got weird, said Judy Jacobs, a communications specialist for MnDOT's District 4 office in Detroit Lakes.

The man, dressed in black, approached the driver's door, climbed on the plow and told Jensen, "Get out of the truck," Otter Tail County Sheriff Brian Schlueter said.

"The man just appeared out of nowhere and was incoherent and began pounding on the snowplow," Jacobs said. "The driver realized the man was not looking for help, locked the door and talked to him through the window. Then he called 911."

At that point, the man climbed off the truck and Jensen, who was not hurt, continued on his route.

Jacobs called the incident "very rare ... I've never heard of this before."

The suspect apparently tried to flag down a pickup driver who was following Jensen's plow. That driver also stopped. The suspect opened the driver's door, grabbed him and said, "Get out of the truck," Schlueter said.

The driver took off, dragging the suspect about 20 yards before he lost his grip.

Sheriff's deputies and officers from the Battle Lake Police Department arrived about 15 minutes later and arrested the suspect.

On Thursday night, Jensen declined to comment.

Kent Barnard, a spokesman for MnDOT and also a snowplow driver in the metro area, said the thief wouldn't have gotten very far in the slow-moving plow. "It's one of those things where you just shake your head and wonder what the heck's going on with the world," he said.

tharlow@startribune.com • 612-673-7768 jpowell@startribune.com • 612-673-7750