Just after midnight, Kimball Police apprehended a stolen vehicle that was first observed by officers at the Kwik Stop in Kimball.
The vehicle matched the description of a stolen vehicle that was reported by the Mitchell Police Department.
Once officers were able to confirm the stolen vehicle they attempted to contact the driver, later identified as 23-year-old Garrett Rust. Upon contact, Rust fled in the vehicle and a pursuit began until the vehicle lost control on a county road and entered the ditch.
Rust was taken into custody and charged with: Operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, Willful reckless driving, Theft by receiving stolen property, and Driving under the influence.
Kimball Police said the Kimball County Sheriff’s Office, The Nebraska State Patrol, and the Kimball Fire Department and EMS assisted with the investigation.
Thursday’s arrest is nothing new for Rust. In 2021, he went to a Scottsbluff car dealership for a test drive and never returned the car. He was arrested later that day and in 2022 was sentenced to 280 days in jail after pleading to a charge of Attempted Theft by Unlawful Taking ($5,000+).
Later in 2022, he was sentenced to a 4 to 6 year suspended prison sentence out of Sweetwater County, Wyo. on a conviction of felony theft. He had violated the terms of his probation in that case and was arrested in Scotts Bluff County in October of 2023 as a fugitive from justice.
