NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — A 21-year-old North Platte man has been cited following an alleged pursuit with deputies that ended with damage to multiple barbed wire fences in rural Lincoln County.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was patrolling near South Buffalo Road and North Lake Road at approximately 7:39 p.m. on June 20 when a blue Ram pickup was observed traveling at a high rate of speed.
The deputy attempted a traffic stop, but the pickup allegedly refused to stop and continued west on North Lake Road to North Maloney Road before heading south to Sail Ridge Road and onto a dirt roadway. The deputy terminated the pursuit due to the high speeds in a residential area.
While searching for the pickup, two North Platte Police officers who were familiar with both the vehicle and its suspected driver contacted the Sheriff's Office and identified the individual believed to have been behind the wheel.
Minutes later, a landowner called 911 to report a blue Ram pickup traveling at a high speed through a pasture south of Prairie Zephyr and Sail Ridge Road. Deputies responding to the area discovered at least three locations where the pickup had driven through barbed wire fencing, causing more than $2,000 in damage.
The pickup was not located that evening. However, the following day, the Nebraska State Patrol AirWing located the vehicle parked in a field south of South Beach. Authorities said the pickup sustained extensive damage and was leaking fluids when it was impounded.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said 21-year-old Damian Salazar of North Platte came to the Sheriff's Office on Monday and was issued citations for speeding 81 mph in a 55 mph zone, flight to avoid arrest, criminal mischief and disobeying a traffic control device.
All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.