Man faces prison for multi-township police chase. 

Michael Fargo, left, and his attorney John Beason

Man faces prison for multi-township police chase. 

#MasonCountyCrime

By Allison Scarbrough. Editor.

LUDINGTON — A 40-year-old Victory Township man faces serving a minimum term of up to three years in prison after pleading guilty in 51st Circuit Court Tuesday, Dec. 19, to third-degree fleeing and eluding police.

Michael Thomas Fargo, of 694 W. Sugar Grove Rd., led police on a 21-minute chase across three townships last August.

In exchange for Fargo’s plea, a felony of carrying a concealed weapon and a misdemeanor of second-offense driving while license suspended (DWLS) were dismissed. The plea agreement calls for Fargo serving a minimum of up to 36 months and a maximum of 120 months in prison, said Mason County Assistant Prosecutor Glenn Jackson III.

Fargo was also charged with fourth-offense habitual offender, and he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-offense habitual offender.

The fourth-offense habitual offender status increased the maximum for the fleeing and eluding charge to life in prison, Jackson said.

Fargo’s prison term will run concurrently to a drug case, in which he pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession with intent to deliver marijuana and possession of less than 25 grams of methadone. A high-court misdemeanor of maintaining a drug house, in this case his vehicle, was dismissed

The chase occurred the afternoon of Aug. 18, when a Mason County sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull over the 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Fargo was driving for an equipment violation. He led deputies on a chase with speeds exceeding 90 mph throughout Sherman, Branch and Sheridan townships before crashing into a tree on Groth Road near the Mason-Lake counties line. Deputies recovered a large knife and several baggies of suspected marijuana. Fargo was not injured.

Fargo has two previous convictions of breaking and entering with intent in 2000 and 2010 and fourth-degree fleeing police in 1998.

Sentencing is set for March 13 at 3 p.m.

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