Stolen vehicle recovered following chase

A pickup stolen from a residence just north of Haxtun on Tuesday evening, Feb. 8 was later recovered following a police chase in Perkins County, Neb.

In the late hours of the evening, William Klingenfuss, 30, of La Marida, Calif., found a Chevy Silverado with the keys in it at a home along Highway 59, about a mile and a half north of Haxtun. Klingenfuss entered the vehicle, started it and stole the pickup from the residence.

Later the night, just before midnight, a Nebraska State Trooper observed the pickup speeding on Interstate 80 near Ogallala, Neb. According to reports, the Trooper attempted a traffic stop but the driver did not stop and a pursuit began.

The pickup exited I-80 and began traveling southbound on county roads for about 20 minutes before losing control on a dirt road near Madrid, Neb. The vehicle rolled in the ditch and troopers were then able to take Klingenfuss into custody without further incident. Klingenfuss was not injured in the chase and crash that followed.

Klingenfuss is currently being held at the Keith County Jail on charges of flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, possession of stolen property, operating without a license and other traffic violations.

“I must affirm to everyone, don't leave keys in your vehicles and lock the doors,” Phillips County Sheriff Thom Elliott said as a warning to local residents. “Yuma and Morgan counties have at least two gangs that are actively stealing cars from rural farms. The thieves are getting into the cars only. They are not breaking into homes for the keys. I'm sure it won't be long until they find Phillips County and prey here.”