Two Norfolk men were jailed after leading troopers on a short pursuit over the weekend during a night of high visibility patrols in the Norfolk area.
Just after 9:00 p.m., Saturday, July 20, a trooper attempted a traffic stop on a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta near Tahazouka Park on Highway 81. The vehicle failed to stop and a short pursuit ensued. The trooper pursued the vehicle for two minutes, before discontinuing the pursuit. An NSP helicopter maintained visual contact of the vehicle. At the Intersection of 49th and Highway 275, troopers used stop sticks to flatten the vehicles front two tires. The vehicle stopped coming to rest in a field southeast of the intersection. The driver of the vehicle Luis J. Morales, 22, Norfolk and passenger in the Alejandro Morales, 20, Norfolk were taken custody without incident and lodged in the Madison County Jail on charges of felony driving under suspension, flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, resisting arrest, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
The pursuit occurred during an evening of high visibility patrols involving the Nebraska State Patrol, the Norfolk Police Department and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. The special enforcement which included the use of the Nebraska State Patrol helicopter was designed to help reduce the number of serious injury and fatality crashes through voluntary compliance of all traffic safety laws.
“We’ve had numerous reports of speeding and aggressive driving in the Norfolk area,” said Captain Paul Hattan, Commander Troop B- Norfolk. “Motorists in the Madison County area can expect additional enforcement efforts as we work with our local law enforcement partners to keep our streets safe and accident free.”
In addition to the pursuit and arrests, troopers issued citations and warnings for speeding (3), driving left of center (1), no proof of insurance (4), no license plate (4), failure to signal (2) and no seat belt (4).