Five people in stolen vehicle arrested after western Nebraska pursuit, patrol says

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Five people in a stolen vehicle led troopers on a chase Tuesday in western Nebraska, the state patrol says.

Around 12:10 p.m. Mountain time, a trooper saw a speeding Nissan Versa, which was reported stolen in Iowa, on Interstate 80 near Paxton.

The trooper pulled the vehicle over, and the driver got out.

A passenger then moved to the driver’s seat, and the original driver got back in before the vehicle sped off, the Nebraska State Patrol said.

A trooper used stop sticks to disable the vehicle on I-80 just west of Paxton.

The vehicle’s five occupants – two 18-year-old men; Yovani Alfonso Rivas, 32; Carlos Alberto, 26; and Jordan Medina, 26 – were taken into custody.

All five are from Venezuela.  They were arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and lodged in the Keith County Jail.