The man apprehended following an appeal on social media for Holt County residents to be vigilant and potentially aid the Holt County Sheriff’s Department has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and had an initial arraignment in court Monday.
50-year-old Robert J Payne of Lincoln, Nebraska is charged with Leaving the Scene of an Accident and Being a Fugitive from Out of State, 3 other misdemeanors, and a trespassing infraction. The Probable Cause Statement says Payne was involved in an accident on I-29 in Holt County just before 11am Saturday and fled the scene of the accident to a wooded area. A witness then contacted law enforcement after seeing a subject walking in a pasture behind his home around 7pm. The subject was spotted once and then spotted spotted again in the pasture and taken into custody at 7:40pm. At the time he was taken into custody, Payne said he was hiding on property to avoid being arrested for Leaving the Scene of an Accident.
The driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident says Payne’s vehicle sideswiped his pickup and then that vehicle went out of control and into a median. The trunk of the vehicle which sideswiped the pickup contained bolt-cutters, tin snips, and a mask. There was also a cellular device located on the passenger floorboard. Eventually, a full extradition warrant was found involving Payne for charges of Burglary, Possession of Burglar’s Tools, and Possession of a Controlled Substance from Lancaster County, Nebraska…