The thick mud in a McCool Junction alfalfa field thwarted the clean getaway plans of three suspected shoplifters Wednesday night.Â
By Thursday, two were in jail, and police were on the lookout for the third.
York County Sheriff's Lt. Paul Vrbka said a sheriff's deputy and Nebraska State Patrol trooper chased the three suspects at about 7:30 p.m., after hearing a report of a shoplifting at the York Wal-Mart.
The suspects left the retailer with a couple of carts full of items, Vrbka said.
The suspect's sedan led deputies down U.S. 81 into McCool Junction and past the baseball field eastbound into the alfalfa field, Vrbka said.
The field was flooded last week by the West Fork of the Big Blue River.
"They just got buried down there,†he said.
People are also reading…
One of the men and a woman ditched the vehicle and got into the river, Vrbka said. The driver, Clinton Young, 41, of Columbus, was arrested by the sedan.
Authorities chased after the other two, but they couldn't apprehend them Wednesday night, Vrbka said.
“We’re lucky someone didn’t drown,†he said.
On Thursday, a McCool Junction resident called the sheriff's office to report a suspicious person by the high school around 8 a.m.
Edward Roberts, 42, of Columbus, was taken into custody and was cooperating in the investigation, Vrbka said.
Roberts and Young were booked in jail on suspicion of theft and fleeing to avoid arrest.
Investigators believe the woman sneaked into a garage in the area and stole a gray 2007 Saturn sedan with the keys in it, Vrbka said.
They believe the woman, in her 30s, may be heading for the Columbus area, and authorities have alerted area law enforcement there. She had not been arrested as of press time.
Reach the writer at 402-473-2657 or rjohnson@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSRileyJohnson.
Riley Johnson
Local government reporter
