Manhunt Results in Arrest
Written by Andrew-Rossi on May 22, 2018
A Wisconsin couple was arrested Sunday night north of Monster Lake after multiple vehicle thefts and a short chase that concluded with a foot chase through a field.
24-year-old Cody Wallace and 35-year-old Tracey Matti, both from communities in central Wisconsin, were arrested after a brief manhunt by deputies from the Park County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Cody Police Department.
The two are currently being held in the Park County Detention Center on charges out of Thermopolis related to the theft of a 2007 Saturn passenger van, and are also suspected of stealing a green Dodge truck from Worland prior to taking the van.
According to information from the Park County Sheriff’s Department, the Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Office had called Park County Dispatch at around 5:30 p.m. on May 20th to notify law enforcement of the theft, noting that the owner’s cell phone, which was still in the vehicle, was “pinged” 18 miles south of Cody on Highway 120. A few minutes later, a deputy identified and began following the van.
That’s when the suspect vehicle turned into Monster Lake, leading deputies on a chase on a two-track road. After a short time, the vehicle went through a barbed wire fence and stopped. Law enforcement searched the area on foot, apprehending both suspects by 8:30 p.m.
The two are awaiting transport to Hot Springs County to face charges.