Suspect bound over in four-county chase

McCOOK, Neb. — The 34-year-old McCook man accused of leading law enforcement officers on a four-county chase last week waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Red Willow County Court Tuesday afternoon.

Judge Anne Paine transferred the case of Samuel Yeager, charged with felony sex offender registry violations and flight to avoid arrest, a Class 4 felony, to district court. He will appear in district court on Monday, Dec. 4; a time has not yet been set.

Judge Paine declined to reduce Yeager’s bond, set at $15,000/10 percent for the sex offender registry violation and $100,000/10 percent for the operation of a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. In asking for a reduced bond, Yeager’s attorney, public defender Ryan Wilcox, told the judge that Yeager grew up in McCook and all his family ties are in McCook. Judge Paine said, however, that the nature of the offense is flight to avoid being arrested. “There is no less restrictive means (than a high bond) to guarantee his appearance in court,” Judge Paine said, determining that bond as set is appropriate.

Yeager was originally wanted on an active felony warrant for failing to update his address, required by law following a 2004 conviction of third degree sexual assault, one year in prison and orders to comply with the state’s sex offender registry act as a 15-year registrant.

When deputies tried to stop Yeager the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the corner of West Fourth and C in McCook, he drove away and led officers from Red Willow, Frontier, Lincoln and Chase county sheriff’s departments, a McCook Police Department officer and Nebraska State Patrol troopers on rural roads through four counties at speeds up to 80 miles an hour. He is alleged to have tried twice to ram a deputy’s patrol vehicle.

Yeager was arrested without incident after he pulled into an abandoned farmyard near Wallace and had no other place to go. He was transported to Red Willow County’s jail by NSP troopers.

Yeager remains in jail in McCook.