Man accused of stealing motorcycle in Utah arrested after two chases in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A man on a stolen motorcycle eluded a state trooper Tuesday only to be tracked down in Kearney hours later, authorities say.

Ian Ayotte, 24, of Maryland is charged with felony theft, resisting arrest and obstructing a peace officer.

About 2 a.m., a Nebraska state trooper was chasing the motorcyclist in the Lexington area, according to court documents.

But the trooper stopped the pursuit without catching him.

Then about 11 a.m., an officer with the Kearney Police Department saw a motorcycle parked on the shoulder of an Interstate 80 off-ramp south of town.

The officer ran the vehicle identification number through a crime database and discovered that the bike was stolen in Utah.

Some troopers then arrived and told the officer that the bike was involved in a chase earlier that morning.

Using a description provided by the crime database, the officer went to a nearby Best Western Inn and asked the staff if they had seen anyone like that.

They said it looked like Ayotte, who had checked into one of the rooms, according to an arrest affidavit.

The officer went to the room and knocked on the door, and police said the man inside said he was just getting dressed.

But the man never came to the door.

Instead, Ayotte pushed through the window screen and made a run for it, the affidavit says.

A member of the hotel cleaning staff alerted the officer, who ran after Ayotte.

The officer chased him through a field for about 1,600 feet until Ayotte finally “gave up,” the affidavit says.

KPD said Ayotte test-drove the motorcycle, which was listed on Facebook Marketplace, and never took it back.

He then spray-painted it all black, police said.

Ayotte is being held in the Buffalo County Jail on a $150,000 bond.

He is due back in court Oct. 1.