FAIRBURY, Neb. -- Jefferson County deputies were involved in a high speed chase in Fairbury on Monday.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was attempting to locate 36-year-old Richie Styers, who was residing in Fairbury. 

It was reported that Styers took a vehicle that he was unauthorized to use or possess. left a residence with numerous firearms, and was potentially having a mental health crisis.

At approximately 12:21 p.m., a deputy reportedly spotted a vehicle near Walmart in Fairbury. The deputy followed the vehicle onto Industrial Drive and then onto N K St., which is a gravel road. 

Officials said the deputy tried to make a traffic stop on the vehicle, a 2013 Dodge Dart, when the driver refused to stop for the deputy and fled. After the vehicle had turned onto Highway 15/K Street, where it turned south, the driver took off at a very high rate of speed and drove southbound in a very reckless manner.

The vehicle then reportedly swerved around a median at the intersection of 14th and K St., where it was traveling southbound in a northbound lane. 

Police said that as the driver tried to make a left turn onto Highway 136, it collided with another vehicle, a 2023 Chevy Silverado, which was driven by 62-year-old Larry McBride, of Fairbury. 

According to authorities, McBride sustained minor injuries and was not transported by ambulance, with Styers transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital after being taken into custody. 

Styers was taken into Emergency Protective Custody to be evaluated once he is treated for his injuries.