High-speed chase ends in arrest

Sheriff: Vehicle reached triple-digit speeds, suspect had six pounds of pot

Sheila McGuire, Herald Reporter
Posted 3/20/18

South Dakota man arrested in Evanston following 100+ mph chase

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High-speed chase ends in arrest

Sheriff: Vehicle reached triple-digit speeds, suspect had six pounds of pot

Posted

EVANSTON — Local law enforcement officers were involved in a high-speed chase on the morning of Friday, March 16, ultimately resulting in the arrest of a 25-year-old male. 

A press release from the Uinta County Sheriff’s Office said a request from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office in Utah came in at about 10:40 a.m. The Summit County request asked for local law enforcement to check County Road 151 toward the Chalk Creek area of Summit County for a gray-colored Chrysler 300 with a male driver who had been observed at speeds of over 100 mph on Interstate 80 in Utah. 

According to the press release, when Utah law enforcement had attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver fled, and authorities lost the vehicle and believed it may have been in the Chalk Creek area. 

Scanner traffic on Friday morning shortly after 11 a.m. indicated the vehicle had been spotted on County Road 151 at speeds in excess of 100 mph near Hansen Ranch and about 120 mph near Dean Acres. The press release said Uinta County Sheriff Doug Matthews had located the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop and instead continued to accelerate. 

An attempt was made to stop the suspect using road spikes near the intersection of Overthrust Road and Yellow Creek, but the driver avoided the spikes by cutting through a nearby field on a dirt road. He then proceeded through Evanston at speeds of more than 100 mph on Yellow Creek Road past the Twin Ridge area and Smith’s, turning onto Cheyenne Drive and passing Uinta Meadows Elementary at nearly 85 miles per hour, according to scanner traffic. 

The pursuit was halted for public safety when the driver reached City View Drive, and law enforcement temporarily lost the vehicle, according to scanner traffic. Officers were uncertain as to which direction the vehicle had gone, whether it had returned to the interstate or had taken Hwy. 150 toward the Uintas.

At approximately 11:30 a.m., scanner traffic indicated an officer had spotted the vehicle in an apartment complex parking lot near Uinta Meadows Elementary. Upon seeing the police car, the vehicle again took off at a high rate of speed, heading toward City View and then turning onto Hwy. 150, passing the Wyoming State Hospital at more than 100 mph. 

The driver continued out of Evanston city limits at excessive speeds, again eluding law enforcement, according to scanner traffic. An area resident phoned in a sighting of the vehicle at about 11:40 a.m., and officers planned to box the driver in using the multiple roads in the area. 

At about 11:45 a.m., scanner traffic indicated the vehicle had crashed in a field, and an ambulance was summoned. The press release said the suspect had rammed into a Uinta County Sheriff’s deputy’s truck and crashed into a loading dock. Moments later officers said the suspect took off on foot. 

According to the press release, after a short foot chase, 25-year-old Lucas M. Odle was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault on a peace officer, eluding, reckless driving, driving under suspension, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and a felony warrant out of South Dakota. Sheriff Matthews told the Herald that Odle was in possession of six pounds of marijuana.