Fort Thompson woman charged with running over officer's leg

CHAMBERLAIN -- A Fort Thompson woman was charged last week with hitting a Chamberlain police officer with her car before leading law enforcement on a pursuit.

Duranne Howe-Loudner, 37, faces three felony and eight misdemeanor charges. If convicted on all counts, she could be sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.

At 4:15 a.m. on Aug. 15, Chamberlain Police Officer Teil Glaus took a call from Mitchell dispatch and was told Howe-Loudner was driving around looking for the domestic violence shelter, according to court documents Glaus arranged to meet Howe-Loudner in a Chamberlain parking lot.

In the parking lot, Glaus reportedly found that Howe-Loudner's license was suspended and told her to stay in her car until a family member could come from Fort Thompson to pick her up. Howe-Loudner eventually started her car, and when Glaus exited his patrol vehicle to ask what she was doing, she allegedly accelerated rapidly toward him, knocking him to the ground and running over his leg with her front right tire.

Glaus got into his patrol vehicle, and a pursuit began through Chamberlain and into Fort Thompson, then back toward Chamberlain. Other officers joined the chase and deployed tire spikes.

Howe-Loudner was reportedly ordered out of her car at gunpoint, and she complied when told to get on the ground. She was handcuffed and taken to the Brule County Jail. Glaus was transported by ambulance to the emergency room to have his leg examined.

A search of Howe-Loudner's car allegedly yielded a small amount of marijuana and various drug paraphernalia.

Howe-Loudner is charged with aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, a Class 2 felony; aggravated eluding and causing a hit-and-run injury accident, both of which are Class 6 felonies; possession of two ounces of marijuana or less, a Class 1 misdemeanor; and reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, speeding, illegally changing lanes, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of failure to stop at an intersection, all of which are Class 2 misdemeanors.