Five teenagers are in custody following a wild ride in western Nebraska early Sunday morning. Nebraska State Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas says troopers were made aware that the five teens s were reportedly missing from a juvenile facility in Wyoming and were believed to be traveling eastbound through Nebraska in a stolen vehicle.
“Troopers then learned that the group was believed to have stolen another vehicle in North Platte and was traveling together in both stolen vehicles,” Thomas says. At around 4:15 a.m. a trooper located a Dodge Durango and a Chevrolet Tahoe traveling eastbound at over 100 miles per hour on I-80 near Gothenburg.
“The trooper attempted a traffic stop and both vehicles exited I-80 at the Cozad interchange and began traveling southbound on Highway 21,” Thomas says. “Both vehicles continued southbound, driving in the northbound lane at times.”
Thomas says near the intersection of Highway 21 and Highway 23, the Durango left the roadway and came to a stop in the ditch. The driver and passenger then fled on foot into a field south of the intersection.
“The Tahoe continued southbound for a few miles before coming to a stop. The three occupants of the Tahoe also fled on foot,” Thomas says. Additional troopers, along with deputies from the Dawson, Frontier, and Gosper County Sheriff’s Offices responded to the scene.
After searching the area for several hours, Thomas says all five teens, ranging 14 to 17 years of age were taken into custody.