He Went Around Roadblock, Killing 2 Other Motorists
The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Police wanted to question a relative of a man who led them on a chase into Nebraska that ended in the deaths of three people, Carter Lake, Iowa, city attorney Joseph Thornton said Tuesday.
The chase began in Iowa early Saturday when Carter Lake police went to the home of Steven Halbert Jr., 19, after being told a person in the house was wanted on charges of child sexual assault.
Police had information that a David Halbert, who was wanted for questioning regarding a child molestation case, was at the residence, Thornton said. They subsequently learned, though before the chase, that Steven Halbert also was at the house, Thornton said.
Omaha police said Steven Halbert was wanted on a felony warrant in Nebraska for failing to show up for sentencing on a drug conviction.
Thornton said he did not know how Halbert and Steven Halbert are related.
Steven Halbert Sr. said David is his brother, who had been staying with the family. He said he believes his son ran because he thought police had come for him.
TWhile watching the house, police saw a man leave by the back door and take off in a sport utility vehicle, Thornton said in a news release Monday.
The chase continued across the Missouri River into Omaha, about five miles away, where Halbert ran a stop sign and collided with two motorcycles, killing two drivers and a passenger, Omaha police said.
Carter Lake police set up two road blocks in an attempt to stop Halbert, but he got around both, the release said. Police said Halbert was driving a vehicle reported stolen from Omaha a day before the fatal crash.
Thornton said in the release that Halbert had turned off his headlights to elude officers chasing him, then ran through the intersection in northeast Omaha shortly after 1 a.m. CST.
Killed were Michael Rock, 50, of Omaha; Terry Partain, 51, of Omaha; and Yvonne Campbell, 41, of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Campbell was a passenger on Partain’s motorcycle, Omaha police said.
The three suffered massive injuries and died instantly, Omaha police said.
Halbert was seriously injured in the crash.
Most of the four-mile chase was in Omaha, though Omaha police didn’t join the chase, Sgt. Teresa Negron said Monday. The accident occurred too soon after Carter Lake police called dispatchers for Omaha police to respond, said Mark Conrey, the 911 director for Douglas County.
Carter Lake and Omaha police always have relayed information through the dispatch centers, Conrey said. Within the next month, he said, the technology will be in place for the two agencies to communicate directly. Omaha police officers follow the department’s pursuit policy when deciding whether to join a pursuit, Negron said.
The Carter Lake Police Department, as well as the driver being chased, could be liable for the crash. Nebraska law holds police departments - including when officers cross into Nebraska from other states - liable if innocent bystanders are injured during pursuits.
The situation would be different had the accident occurred in Carter Lake.
A 1995 decision by the Iowa Supreme Court found that officers must show a reckless disregard for others’ safety in order to be found liable when innocent bystanders are injured in police pursuits.
Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said Carter Lake would investigate the officers’ actions in the crash.
“As far as I can see, there probably was no criminal wrongdoing on the part of Carter Lake,” Wilber said.
Saturday’s crash may have been the deadliest police pursuit in Nebraska.