NSP: Footprints in snow lead troopers to suspected car thief

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    OMAHA, NE (WOWT) — A suspected car thief led Nebraska State Patrol on a chase Wednesday and might have eluded troopers a bit longer had it not been for a set of tracks in the snow.

Instead, 23-year-old Tony Collins of Omaha was arrested Wednesday after a pursuit that originated near Fremont.

At 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, a trooper spotted a Pontiac G6 reported stolen from the Fremont area traveling east on Highway 275 between Fremont and Waterloo, according to an NSP news release issued on Thursday. The trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the driver sped up instead, the release states.

The driver turned eastbound on Dodge Street, heading toward Omaha, prompting the trooper to cease the pursuit due to weather conditions, the release states.

A short time later, according to the release, NSP was notified that a vehicle matching the description of the stolen Pontiac had crashed in a ditch on West Dodge Road near 168th Street.

Snow tracks led to the Best Buy location at Village Pointe, and employees directed troopers to the bathroom where they found the suspect hiding, the report states.

Collins is facing charges of theft, flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, and driving under suspension, the release states. He was being held in Douglas County Corrections.

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