A 65-year-old woman from North Platte was arrested by Nebraska State Patrol troopers Friday night after she hit their cruiser in an attempt to avoid a traffic stop.
A 65-year-old woman from North Platte was arrested by Nebraska State Patrol troopers Friday night after she hit their cruiser in an attempt to avoid a traffic stop.
The driver, Debra Pittman, was arrested on suspicion of willful reckless driving, felony flight to avoid arrest, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, hit and run and driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the State Patrol.
A cruiser with two troopers attempted to stop the Chevrolet Tahoe Pittman was driving after observing the vehicle making multiple traffic violations as it traveled eastbound on Interstate 80 near Utica at about 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Pittman did not stop the vehicle and instead drove into the median and began driving west on I-80 before stopping along the highway's shoulder.
The troopers tried to block the vehicle to prevent it from reentering the highway, but Pittman drove forward and hit the cruiser. She then began driving eastbound in the westbound lanes.
Shortly after, the vehicle again entered the median and came to a stop. The troopers then took Pittman into custody.
The pursuit lasted about two minutes and neither trooper was injured in the incident. Pittman was taken to the Seward County Jail.
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Reach the writer at lstephens@journalstar.com or 402-473-7241.
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Luna Stephens
News intern
Luna Stephens is a journalism student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who is originally from Lawrence, Kansas and is passionate about the transformative power of journalism.
