Kearney, Neb. — Kearney Police Officers responded shortly before 11:20 p.m. on Tuesday to a report of a U-Haul truck towing a vehicle on a flatbed car trailer that had just been stolen from the Hampton Inn located at 507 Talmadge Avenue. Following an investigation, Officers determined that an unknown white male suspect assaulted a female before stealing the U-Haul and attached trailer. Officers confirmed the suspect was the only occupant of the stolen vehicle.
Within minutes, Kearney Police Officers found the stolen vehicle near Yanney Park and attempted a traffic stop. The suspect declined to stop and continued westbound out of Kearney city limits. Kearney Police Officers were assisted by the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, and a pursuit was initiated.
During the pursuit, law enforcement officers coordinated several efforts to safely bring the vehicle to a stop, including the deployment of spike strips at multiple locations. The suspect eventually entered eastbound Interstate 80 near Odessa, where the pursuit continued at speeds ranging from approximately 15 mph to 55 mph. The Nebraska State Patrol successfully deployed spike strips several times on I-80 in an effort to disable the stolen vehicle. During the pursuit, the car trailer carrying the vehicle detached from the U-Haul several miles east of Kearney and came to rest in the outside lane of I-80.
Sparks from the deflated tires on the U-Haul and trailer ignited several fires in the median during the pursuit. The Kearney Volunteer Fire Department responded quickly and extinguished the fires.
The U-Haul eventually became disabled near the Gibbon exit on I-80. Officers from the Kearney Police Department, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, and Nebraska State Patrol took the suspect, 40-year-old Jeffrey J. Ritchison of Omaha, into custody without further incident.
Ritchison was lodged at the Buffalo County Jail on charges of Flight to Avoid Arrest and Robbery. Additional charges from the Nebraska State Patrol are pending.
The Kearney Police Department would like to thank the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol, and Kearney Volunteer Fire Department for their quick and professional assistance in apprehending the suspect.
Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact Lt. Luke with the Kearney Police Department at (308) 237-2104, Buffalo County Crime Stoppers at (308) 237-3424, or through the See Something, Send Something app.
