By OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Lead Reporter - Salina Post
Salina Police Department (SPD) officers, Saline County Sheriff's Office deputies and Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) troopers all assisted in a chase throughout town late Tuesday evening.
The driver, from Salina, reached speeds of 123 mph on Magnolia Road.
According to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan, at about 9:50 p.m., Tuesday, May 21, a sheriff's deputy saw a black 2005 Ford Mustang speeding northbound on Ohio Street. Once the deputy attempted a traffic stop, the driver continued, leading to a chase.
"The deputy was still trying to catch up with it and turned on the red lights, but the vehicle continued eastbound on Magnolia," Soldan said. "The vehicle made a U-turn on East Magnolia and went back westbound on Magnolia — at this point, the vehicle was fleeing from the deputy. They checked the vehicle's speed at 123 mph in a 35 in the area of Magnolia and Belmont."
Soldan said the driver then ran a red light at Ninth Street and Magnolia Road and turned south onto Interstate 135, where he allegedly reached speeds of 127 mph.
A KHP trooper joined the chase once the driver, later identified as 24-year-old Salina resident Corey Cantrell, Jr., entered the interstate. Since Cantrell reached such extreme speeds on I-135, KHP discontinued the chase.
After a short time, the Saline County Sheriff's Office began receiving multiple reports of a dark vehicle traveling quickly around town.
"We had several reports of people calling, citizens calling dispatch about a vehicle driving through town with no lights on at a high rate of speed," Soldan said.
Then, at about 10:25 p.m., SPD Capt. James Feldman said a citizen reported to dispatch that a black Ford Mustang was driving on Quincy Street without headlights or taillights.
Feldman said that an officer then observed the Mustang in the 800 block of South Front Street, where they attempted a traffic stop, but Cantrell did not stop but did not take off either, remaining at the speed limit.
"The officer turned around on the vehicle and attempted to do a traffic stop at the intersection of Fourth and Wilson," Feldman said. "Then, he continued northbound on Front Street, then turned onto Fourth Street, then to Bond Street, and still did not stop, but he was driving at the speed limit and did not accelerate away, just not pulling over."
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After cruising at the posted speed limit on Bond Street, Cantrell turned onto Second Street and pulled into a parking lot at 500 East Crawford Avenue.
Once Cantrell pulled over at the parking lot, SPD officers contacted the Sheriff's Office, where deputies arrested him without incident. Soldan said deputies located an alleged THC pen once they arrested Cantrell.
Deputies then requested charges for felony flee and elude, three counts of failing to stop at a stop sign, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, improper driving on a laned roadway, failing to signal, a few speeding and racing charges due to the extreme speeds and two traffic control signal violations.