Two in Custody After I-80 Pursuit near Aurora

File photo courtesy of the Nebraska State Patrol.

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 (GRAND ISLAND, NEB.) — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested two people following a pursuit on I-80 near Aurora.

At approximately 9:55 a.m. Thursday, a trooper observed an eastbound Cadillac CTS speeding and driving with expired license plates on I-80 near Aurora. The trooper attempted a traffic stop near mile marker 332, but the driver accelerated and fled. The trooper initiated a pursuit.

The vehicle fled eastbound with speeds reaching 130 miles per hour. The Cadillac also passed multiple vehicles on the shoulder. The Cadillac then exited I-80 at mile marker 342. The vehicle drove southbound before turning around in a field and returning to I-80. It entered I-80 eastbound, drove through the median and continued fleeing westbound on I-80. Near mile marker 339, the vehicle slowed down and the driver jumped from the moving vehicle onto the pavement of I-80.

The driver fled on foot across I-80 and into a field before being apprehended quickly by another trooper. A passenger remained in the vehicle and was taken into custody without further incident. During the pursuit, the trooper observed two items being thrown from the vehicle. Those items, a handgun and a methamphetamine pipe, were recovered by other troopers. The handgun was discovered to be stolen.

The driver, a 16-year-old male, was taken into custody for felony flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, obstruction, failure to obey a lawful order, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a controlled substance, and several other charges. The passenger, Alexander Esquitin, 33, of Grand Island, was arrested for possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of a controlled substance, tampering with physical evidence, and other charges.

Esquitin was lodged in Hamilton County Jail. The 16-year-old minor was taken to the Lancaster County Youth Detention Center.

Ricketts: Second “National Anthem” At Husker Games “Is Wrong”