Traffic Violation Leads to Arrest

(MERRICK COUNTY, Neb.) — From a stop sign violation to a possible lengthy sentence, a Merrick County woman is now behind bars.

Although we focus primarily on the panhandle of Nebraska, our public record includes counties from across the state. Here’s some news from Merrick County.

From Merrick County Sheriff’s Office

MULTIPLE AGENCY PURSUIT

What started out as a vehicle that fled from a traffic stop in Grand Island, turned into a pursuit on Highway 30 and led to Merrick County and then to Central City.

The Central City Police Department and the Merrick County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver failed to comply with law enforcement and continued driving the vehicle westbound on Highway 30.

The Merrick County Sheriff’s Office continued pursuing the vehicle, assisted by the Nebraska State Patrol, near 7th Road and Highway 30. The suspect vehicle turned around again and began traveling eastbound towards Central City.

The Central City Police Department successfully deployed a tire deflation device on Highway 30. The suspect vehicle continued to travel into Central City to an alley behind a residence located in the 1800 Block of 24th Street where it came to a stop.

The driver refused to comply with verbal instructions to exit the vehicle. A non-lethal deployment option was utilized to temporarily incapacitate the driver who was then removed from the vehicle and detained.

Driver was taken to Merrick Medical Center for an evaluation and later released to the custody of law enforcement.

The female and sole occupant of the vehicle was identified as Alana C. Cloran-Brondel (49) of Merrick County. The Merrick County Sheriff’s Office arrested her for the following charges:

• Flight to Avoid Arrest
• Obstructing a Peace Officer
• Careless Driving
• Violation of Stop Sign
• No Valid Registration

The following charges are from the Central City Police Department:

• Fleeing in a Motor Vehicle
• Obstructing a Police Officer
• No Valid Registration
• Violate Stop Sign

Ms. Cloran-Brondel will likely be facing additional charges from the Grand Island Police Department and the Nebraska State Patrol.

We are grateful for the tremendous response from all the agencies involved in this incident and are fortunate that the law enforcement, the driver, and the public were unharmed during this incident.