Cops: Casper man flees police that weren't chasing him, crashes, hides in crawlspace
A Casper man faces multiple charges after police allege he mistakenly believed an officer was pursuing him and fled, ultimately losing control of his car and crashing into a yard.
Laurence Olson, born in 1997, turned onto CY Avenue on Tuesday evening shortly after a Casper Police Department sergeant received a call for backup from another officer, according to an affidavit filed Wednesday.
The sergeant turned on his lights and changed course to assist the other officer when a silver Cadillac, allegedly driven by Olson, turned onto CY Avenue.
The Cadillac failed to pull over and yield to the officer, according to the filing.
The affidavit notes that the sergeant "did not have any intent [of] stopping the vehicle," until the Cadillac made a sharp turn off CY without braking. At that point, the document says the sergeant began following the Cadillac and turned his car's sirens on.
The officer briefly chased the Cadillac at speeds in excess of 50 mph until "the extremely reckless nature of the driving" caused the officer to end the pursuit.
Shortly thereafter, the affidavit says the driver of the Cadillac lost control while making another turn and "traveled up into the front yard of a residence, crashed through a large bush, spun out, then fled out of the yard" back onto the street.
Though the sergeant was unable to locate Olson at the scene, another officer later noted that he'd seen the vehicle parked in front of a home that day. After traveling to the house, the residents told the sergeant that Olson had been driving the vehicle and was hiding in the crawlspace beneath their home.
"After being advised of his rights under Miranda, Olson made several statements about having been driving the vehicle," the affidavit said.
Olson faces a charge of reckless driving, one count of lacking compulsory insurance, fleeing or attempting to elude police and leaving the scene of an accident. His bail has been set at $2,500.
— Dylan Farrell can be reached at 307-441-0496, or on X Love Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.
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