Two people from Indiana are in the Saline County Jail on multiple requested charges after leading deputies on an early Friday morning pursuit.
A Saline County Sheriff's deputy was in the 500 block of North Ninth Street at 2:49 a.m. Friday when he noticed a 2020 silver Dodge Charger with no license plate. When the deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, it fled northbound on North Ninth Street before turning west on Interstate 70 (I-70), sometimes traveling in excess of 100 mph, Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning.
The chase continued as follows.
•Exit I-70 at Halstead Road, then south to the entry ramp to eastbound I-70
•East on I-70 then south on Interstate 135 (I-135)
•West on Crawford Street to Halstead Road before turning around and driving east in the westbound lane, causing deputies to swerve to avoid a head-on collision
•Northbound on I-135
Soldan said a Salina Police Officer had deployed stop spikes just north of the State Street exit on I-135. When the Charger drove over the spikes, however, the pull rope broke and the officer was unable to retrieve the spikes before two sheriff's vehicles and a motorist's vehicle drove over them, causing multiple tire punctures, Soldan explained. No one was injured, he added.
The Charger continued north on U.S. Highway 81, exiting at Kansas Highway 143, Soldan said. The charger then turned west, but was unable to successfully navigate the gravel road at the "T" intersection just west of I-135, he said.
The driver and a passenger exited the Charger and fled on foot, hiding in a nearby field before being apprehended, Soldan said. The Charger, as it turns out, was reported stolen out of Illinois, he said.
The driver, Destinee Milton-Mata, 23, of Gary, Ind., was arrested on the following requested charges, Soldan said.
A registration violation
Felony flee and elude
Aggravated assault on an law enforcement officer
Obstruction
Transporting an open container
Driving while suspended
Possession of stolen property
The passenger, Stefano Childress, 31, of Hammond, Ind., was arrested on the following requested charges, Soldan said.
Obstruction
Possession of stolen property
Soldan said that a 30-day permit belonging to one of the individuals, but not to the Charger, was duct taped inside the back window, but because of the window tinted was not able to be seen.