A Colorado man accused of driving under the influence was arrested near Fort Collins after twice speeding the wrong way at over 100 mph on Interstate 25, nearly crashing into a trooper and oncoming drivers, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
A witness called state patrol dispatch at 7 p.m. Aug. 10 after seeing a black Mercedes driving recklessly on northbound I-25 near mile marker 278, near Wellington, the agency said in a news release Thursday.
The woman told dispatchers the driver was going over 100 mph and almost hit her car, and she saw the driver stop in the far left lane, turn around and then start driving south into oncoming traffic.
Trooper Colton Bogart received the woman’s call and soon saw the Mercedes, clocking the driver going 102 mph on southbound I-25 near mile marker 267, which is near Timnath.
When the trooper tried to pull over the Mercedes, the driver swerved across the highway and again turned around and started driving in the wrong direction, nearly hitting Bogart head-on before continuing to drive the wrong way down the highway.
Bogart chased the Mercedes the wrong way down I-25 for about 30 seconds before the driver exited I-25 at Colorado 392, west of Windsor, and Bogart followed him into a fast-food restaurant parking lot and arrested him, according to video from Bogartap dashboard camera.
Nelson Oldham, 36, is charged with vehicular eluding, a felony, as well as driving under the influence and two counts of reckless endangerment, all misdemeanors, according to court records. He is also charged with one count of reckless driving, a traffic infraction.
Oldham apologized for not understanding what Bogart was saying as he was being arrested, according to a video from Bogartap body-worn camera.
“Don’t apologize to me,” Bogart said. “Apologize to everyone you almost killed on the interstate.”
Oldham was released on a $500 cash bail and is set to appear in court on Sept. 26.
