Woman escapes near Lincoln after boyfriend forces her to drive 54 miles, authorities say

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Nebraska man forced his girlfriend to drive down Highway 2, and when she tried to escape, he repeatedly hit her, authorities say.

Sunday evening around 8:30, Cody Ringle, 32, forced his 37-year-old girlfriend to drive from Elk Creek to an unknown location. Elk Creek is a village about 63 miles southeast of Lincoln.

They ran out of gas 54 miles later, near 120th Street outside Lincoln. A man was parked on the side of the road trying to change his tire.

Ringle got out of the vehicle and helped the man.

The victim saw an opportunity to escape and began running.  She was stopped by Ringle, who repeatedly punched her in the face, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses at the scene flagged down another driver, who took her to the Sam’s Club where the police were called.

The Nebraska State Patrol found Ringle north of the intersection and took him into custody.

Ringle was arrested on suspicion of third-degree domestic assault and false imprisonment.

He also had a felony warrant out of Johnson County.

Third-degree domestic assault is a misdemeanor. False imprisonment is a felony.