Information called in Sunday by an off-duty Denver police lieutenant helped the Wyoming Highway Patrol apprehend an escaped prisoner who troopers say caused two motorcyclists to crash.
Timothy J. Arnold, 18, was driving a stolen Ford Taurus when it swung into the opposing lane on U.S. 85 north of Lingle, Wyo., said Sgt. Stephen Townsend.
Two of three northbound motorcyclists crashed trying to avoid the Taurus. The third, Jim Martinez of the Denver Police Department, followed the Taurus and notified law enforcement on his cell phone of the location where he lost sight of the vehicle.
Using the information, Goshen County sheriff’s deputies found the Taurus. When they tried to stop it, Arnold sped away and led officers on a lengthy chase, Townsend said.
The chase ended when Arnold lost control of the Taurus as he attempted to avoid road spikes placed by troopers across U.S. 26 east of Fort Laramie. Townsend said Arnold suffered injuries when the Taurus hit a cement structure on a bridge and was taken to the hospital.
Also hospitalized at Community Hospital in Torrington were the two motorcyclists, David Atchley, 46, of Larkspur, and Leon James of Castle Rock. James, a retired Denver police lieutenant, was airlifted to Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, Neb.
Townsend said Arnold faces numerous traffic charges in the chase plus escape charges and will be taken back to the Wyoming Department of Corrections in Casper when he is released from the hospital.
Arnold was working on a work-release probation and had originally been charged with larceny. He was to have been at his place of employment in Casper at the time of the chase, Townsend said.
