A 42-year-old Tennessee man ended up in the Sarpy County jail following a pursuit through several counties Saturday night. The Nebraska State Patrol says just before 7:00 a trooper tried to make a traffic stop on a Ford Fusion for failing to stop at a stop sign near Gretna.
“As the trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver refused to yield and accelerated,” says NSP spokesman Cody Thomas. “The driver fled northbound on Highway 6 through Gretna. The trooper initiated a pursuit.”
Thomas says the Omaha Police Department’s Able-1 helicopter was in the area and took over the pursuit from the air, while units on the ground discontinued. Pilots continued following the vehicle as it continued speeding northbound on Highway 6. “The vehicle eventually turned westbound on West Q Road and then continued westbound on Highway 92 into Saunders County,” Thomas says.
“The pursuit continued for over an hour, traveling through Saunders County and eventually Lancaster County.” Thomas says the NSP AirWing took over for OPD’s helicopter and tracked the vehicle as it traveled southbound on Highway 79 towards Lincoln.
“Lancaster County deputies successfully deployed stop sticks to bring the vehicle to a stop on Highway 79 just north of Highway 34,” Thomas says. Juan Avant of Memphis was taken into custody without further incident.
He was arrested for flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.