SCSO involved in two high-speed chases

KINGSTON — Shoshone County Sheriff's Deputies were kept busy on Sunday after responding to two separate incidents in which suspects fled from authorities — one at a traffic stop, the other after sticking up a gas station.

SCSO Cpt. Jeff Lee tells the News-Press that the first incident occurred just after 12:20 p.m. when an SCSO deputy conducted a traffic stop on a gray Ford Fusion for a traffic infraction on westbound Interstate 90 near milepost 54. After making contact with the identified driver, Thomas J. Sedlickas, 43, of Washington, the suspect quickly accelerated away from the stop.

Thomas was then pursued by deputies on westbound I-90 at high rates of speed until he struck the middle road barrier, drove into eastbound lanes traffic, and then exited the roadway near milepost 43.

"He went through the grass, into the ditch, through the trees, onto Riverview Drive, and started heading back east," Lee said.

Deputies then lost sight of the Ford for a short time, but thanks to a witness who called dispatch, they were advised that the vehicle was at the east dead-end of Riverview Drive and Sedlickas was seen running into the woods. The Ford was recovered and the immediate area was then searched by personnel with SCSO, the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and Idaho State Police.

During the search, it was determined that not only did Sedlickas have an arrest warrant from Washington, but he also may have been picked up by an accomplice driving a maroon Toyota.

"Two vehicles were seen previously to the stop by the same deputy that stopped the Ford," Lee explained.

ISP troopers would later locate and pullover the Toyota on I-90 near milepost 17 and take Sedlickas into custody. According to booking reports, he is charged with eluding an officer, use or possession of a schedule II controlled substance, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, having an open container in the vehicle, driving recklessly, destruction of evidence, and obstructing or resisting an officer.

The status and identity of the Toyota's driver was unknown to SCSO and a representative with ISP could not be reached for comment at press time. The relationship between Sedlickas and the Toyota driver is also unknown, but Sedlickas' Ford was from Washington and the Toyota was from Montana.

Lee states that the Silver Valley is often used as a middle ground destination for drug users/dealers to meet and/or exchange narcotics.

"It was a great effort with all the involved agencies," Lee added. "There's no way we would have caught him without the assistance of everyone involved."

In the other major incident that day, SCSO dispatch received a 911 call around 11:45 p.m. of an armed robbery at the Exxon gas station in Kingston. The male suspect has stolen unknown items from the store at gunpoint before leaving the area.

Equipped with a description of the suspect's vehicle, deputies were able to quickly locate him on I-90 near milepost 43 heading west. Due to the suspect being armed, deputies and ISP troopers initiated a felony traffic stop on the vehicle near milepost 27.

The driver and suspect, identified as Nolan D. A. Fisher, 18, of Washington, was taken into custody without incident and one juvenile female passenger was released to her parents unharmed.

Upon further investigation of the suspect's phone and vehicle, evidence of numerous sexual abuse crimes was discovered.

As a result, Nolan was booked for charges of robbery, rape, aggravated assault, lewd conduct with a child under 16, sexual abuse of a child by solicitation, sexual abuse of a child by making an electronic recording, and sexual abuse of a child by inducing to see sexual content.

No injuries came from either incident and the investigation in both cases is ongoing.