An attempted robbery at a highway rest stop in eastern Nebraska left a 72-year-old man dead and his 71-year-old wife seriously injured in a knife attack on Wednesday, authorities said.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said officers were called to a rest stop on Interstate 80 shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday and found the couple both injured with knife wounds. Authorities said Gary and Mary Weaver were traveling in their mobile home through Nebraska before the attack occurred.
Gary Nelson died at a Grand Island hospital. Mary Nelson remained in critical condition in the hospital Wednesday with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The Nelsons were from Eureka, Missouri.
The suspect fled the rest area in a vehicle before authorities arrived, but Grand Island Police Capt. Dean Elliott told television station KSNB that officers were able to get a description.
The Nebraska State Patrol attempted to stop a vehicle matching that description near Wood River and chased it at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour before the vehicle left the highway and turned south. Elliott said the vehicle eventually entered the Platte River. State troopers used a police dog to find the suspect and arrest him about 30 minutes later.
“Excellent teamwork by Hall County Troopers and Deputies to quickly locate and arrest the suspect,” the Nebraska State Patrol said on social media. “Our thoughts are with the two victims and their families.”
James Thompson Jr., 22, of Elyria, Ohio, was held in the Hall County Jail on Wednesday. He faces numerous charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery and fleeing police. Because he has not yet appeared in court, he does not have an attorney who can comment on his behalf.
Earlier this month it was a man shot and killed at a rest stop during an attempted robbery in California.
