On Thursday, April 14, at approximately 11 p.m., a K9 handler with the Seward County Homeland Security Investigations Criminal Interdiction Task Force - West initiated a traffic stop on Interstate 80 for multiple traffic violations on a Chevy Cruze.
The vehicle was traveling westbound on I-80 near the 388 MM interchange (Pleasant Dale). Once the suspect vehicle came to a stop, both occupants, a male driver and a female passenger, exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The woman returned to the K9 handler on her own and was identified as Destiny Burnett, 23, Hope Mills, North Carolina. Once additional personnel with Seward County Sheriff’s Office and Nebraska State Patrol arrived, a search of the area began to locate and apprehend the man.
After approximately a two-hour search of the area, the man was located and apprehended. He crawled out of a culvert underneath I-80 and surrendered himself to two Nebraska State Troopers without further incident. Rescue was requested to the scene to evaluate his status as he had been in cold water for an extended period. The man was identified as Steven Townsend, 33, Hollywood, South Carolina. Townsend was then transported to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening medical issues.
A search of the vehicle led to deputies seizing contraband to include hundreds of ecstasy pills.
Burnett was arrested and lodged in the Seward County Detention Center for Possession with the Intent to Deliver Ecstasy, Possession of a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance, and Obstructing a Police Officer. Townsend also has four active warrants in three different states.
