Deputies arrest 19-year-old after high-speed chase in Gillette

GILLETTE (WNE) --- Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 19-year-old man Monday afternoon for several traffic violations after he led law enforcement on a high-speed chase in Gillette and was linked to other reckless driving incidents last week.

Sheriff’s Lt. Paul Pownall said deputies saw a silver Nissan 370Z sports car at about 1 p.m. Monday on Highway 59 that was suspected to have fled from law enforcement once on Friday and twice on Saturday.

When they tried to identify the car’s registration, the driver sped south on Highway 59 “at a high rate of speed,” Pownall said, hitting speeds of more than 100 mph and swerving between traveling vehicles. During this time, the man hit another vehicle driving on the road. Deputies stopped the pursuit for a short time until the driver, later identified as the 19-year-old, turned west into a residential area.

Deputies found the car before the man fled once again, driving north on Tanner Drive. At the corner of Tanner Drive and Sinclair Street, he dropped off an 18-year-old passenger. The 19-year-old then continued speeding east on Sinclair Street, Pownall said.

Deputies stopped following the man because of traffic and the close proximity to schools in the area.

A short time later, the man was found at his home on Heart X Avenue and arrested without incident, Pownall said. Deputies arrested him for two counts of reckless driving, two counts of fleeing and eluding law enforcement, two counts of driving with a suspended license, minor in possession of tobacco and leaving an accident.

This story was published on April 23, 2024.