Colorado murder suspect arraigned in Dawson County Court following high speed chase in Nebraska
LEXINGTON, Neb. (KNOP) - A Colorado man accused of murder in Denver was arraigned in Dawson County Court on Wednesday after a high-speed chase in Nebraska ended with his arrest and the death of a female passenger.
Augustine Vega, 36, of Colorado Springs, was arrested Sunday after Nebraska State Patrol troopers were tipped off by Colorado authorities that he might be traveling through Nebraska. Vega was wanted for a fatal shooting in Denver on Saturday night.
A state trooper spotted Vega’s SUV on I-80 near Gothenburg, triggering a high-speed chase that ended on a county road near Cozad. Law enforcement found Vega and a female passenger unresponsive inside the vehicle. Both were given Narcan and taken to Gothenburg Health, where the woman died. Vega was later flown to CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney for further treatment.
Court documents indicate Vega was believed to be armed and traveling with an unidentified woman who may have been abducted. Authorities tracked his location via cell phone pings, with the last one recorded near Gothenburg.
During the chase, Vega exited into Gothenburg, continued east on 12th Street, and eventually left city limits. Speeds reached nearly 100 mph on Highway 30, nearly causing two collisions. Troopers deployed spike strips, slowing the vehicle east of Gothenburg.
After deploying a drone and seeing no response from the occupants, officers broke a window and removed them. Medical staff later discovered a suspected bag of drugs in Vega’s lungs.
Vega was booked in Dawson County Detention Center on a $250,000 bond. He faces charges of using a deadly weapon to commit a felony and operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. A preliminary hearing is set for March 25 at 11 a.m.
The female victim has not been identified. NSP was assisted by the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Gothenburg Police Department, and Cozad Police Department.
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