Police investigating driver in high-speed chase
Local police agencies are continuing their investigation this week to identify a subject who involved at least three agencies in a high-speed chase on the night of April 11.
The chase apparently began with an attempted stop for speeding in Spencer, moved north to the Abbotsford-Colby area, and then later ended south of Loyal.
The incident began about 10:30 p.m. when a Spencer police officer attempted to stop a motorist for a speeding violation. As the police pursuit topped speeds of 100 mph as it proceeded through the village of Unity, a Colby-Abby police offi cer was notified to be on the alert. A short time later, the Colby-Abby officer saw the suspect vehicle driving on Highway 13 at a high rate of speed, with its lights extinguished.
The Colby-Abby officer picked up the pursuit, chasing the vehicle under the Highway 29 overpass, through the city of Abbotsford, and northbound on Highway 13. The officer lost sight of the vehicle — which still had its lights off — near Dorchester, and ended the pursuit there.
An alert was sent out to other law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the vehicle, which was described as a white/ivory Mercury Mountaineer. At about 10:30 p.m. a Loyal city police officer who was watching traffic along Highway 98 saw a vehicle matching that description entering the city.
The vehicle then turned south onto Loyal’s Main Street. As the Loyal officer approached from behind and activated his squad vehicle lights, the suspect vehicle again accelerated, and sped through the stop sign at the Loyal Methodist Church corner.
The Loyal officer continued the pursuit southbound out of the city, and the driver again extinguished the car’s lights. The suspect negotiated the first curve on Highway K, but failed to make the second bend of the S-curves, and the vehicle entered the ditch.
The Loyal officer saw a subject fleeing across a field to the north, but did not immediately initiate a chase on foot. The officer then summoned a second Loyal officer, who brought the city’s K-9 unit to the scene. They attempted to follow the suspect, but the dog lost the track in rainy/muddy conditions.
Loyal Police Chief Matt Kubista said his department has been in contact with the owner of the vehicle, who was apparently not driving it at the time. Police were to interview the owner again on Wednesday to attempt to determine who was operating it.
