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Sep 8, 2005 4:34 pm US/Central
Driver Charged In Officer's Death
Anoka, Minn. (WCCO) ―
A 26-year-old South Dakota man said he didn't want to go on living as he led officers on a chase that resulted in the death of a Lino Lakes, Minn. policeman, according to court documents.
Steven Douglas Stanke of Sioux Falls, S.D. is accused of striking and killing officer Shawn Silvera, 32, during a police chase on Interstate 35W Tuesday, the Anoka County attorney's office said.
The chase began in Wyoming, Minn., as officers attempted to pull the suspect over.
Stanke, who was allegedly driving a stolen Chevrolet Beretta, was wanted in South Dakota on felony warrants for assault and narcotics and was a suspect in a home invasion in that state, officials said.
Investigators believe Stanke fled southbound on I-35W for about 13 miles and hit officer Silvera on I-35W at Lexington Avenue North, where he had placed several tire deflation devices in response to the chase.
Witnesses told investigators Silvera had retreated into the median and Stanke swerved directly into him, according to court papers.
After the chase, Stanke told investigators that he was aware of his mounting legal troubles and believed he had "80 years over his head" in South Dakota, according to an affidavit filed in Anoka County District Court.
"During the police chase, he (Stanke) was thinking that he did not want to live," the affidavit read.
Stanke appeared in court Thursday and was charged with second-degree murder and fleeing police in a motor vehicle. He entered no official plea, authorities said.
Stanke's bail was set at $1 million. His next court date is set for Sept. 22, authorities said.
Investigators believe Stanke's vehicle was traveling over 100 mph when he hit Silvera, according to court papers.
The impact of the crash threw Silvera nearly 300 feet across the interstate, investigators said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The chase took about nine minutes, and officials said up to four squad cars pursued the suspect.
After hitting Silvera, investigators say Stanke drove across the median into the northbound lanes of I-35W and hit an oncoming minivan before coming to a stop.
The driver of the minivan suffered a potentially life-threatening severed artery and was saved by emergency medical treatment, court papers said.
The minivan driver, a 39-year-old man from Grantsburg, Wis., was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center. His current condition is not known.
Silvera served in the 20-member Lino Lakes Police Department for seven years, beginning in 1997. He took a two-year leave of absence to serve in the Peace Corps before returning to the department.
Silvera was married with two children. A memorial fund has been set up in his name at the Lino Lakes State Bank.
Silvera's funeral will be held Monday in Coon Rapids, Minn.
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