Wanted fugitive mistaken as dead body lying in middle of road, Nebraska sheriff says
A wanted fugitive was thought to be dead when he was seen lying in the middle of a road, Nebraska officials say.
The Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a “double fatality” near the camping area of Iron Horse Trail Lake, about 80 miles southeast of Lincoln, the office said in a Facebook news release on Sunday, Sept. 4.
Deputies arrived to find two men lying in the middle of the road near a wrecked car, per the release. Both men were taken to a hospital for “excessive alcohol and drug consumption.”
Officials identified one man as Ronald Nalepa, a fugitive who pleaded guilty to a stabbing in Utah in 2020 and “multiple other prior stabbings and assaults from Oregon, California, Nevada, and Utah,” the sheriff’s office said.
In August 2020, Nalepa got into a fight with another man at a campsite in Cache County and stabbed him, ABC 4 reported on Sept. 2, 2020. He fled the scene and, after refusing to pull over, led the Utah Highway Patrol on a chase into Logan, Utah, the outlet reported. Local police arrested him and took him into custody, ABC 4 reported.
He remained in custody until March 2021 when was released in exchange for a plea deal, Cache Valley Daily reported on July 8, 2021.
Nalepa pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, failing to stop at the command of police, and driving under the influence, Cache Valley Daily reported.
Nalepa’s original sentencing was scheduled for May 2021 but was postponed until July, Cache Valley Daily reported. He did not show up for the hearing in July and the judge issued a “no bail arrest warrant,” the outlet reported.
According to the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office, Nalepa settled in Pawnee County with friends while hiding from authorities. He told authorities that he “really likes” the area and plans to move back after completing his prison sentence in Utah, according to the release.
Nalepa was taken to Omaha to await extradition to Utah, the sheriff’s office said.
This story was originally published September 5, 2022 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Wanted fugitive mistaken as dead body lying in middle of road, Nebraska sheriff says."
