Driver arrested in 2-hour chase

FALLON - A man who led law enforcement officers on a two hour high-speed chase through Mineral, Churchill and Lyon counties was arrested Monday in Fernley.

Mark Trinidad Cuellar, 31, of Las Vegas was taken to Renown Medical Center in Reno for medical treatment after being found unresponsive, according to Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Chuck Allen.

Cuellar is being held in the Lyon County Jail on one count of kidnapping, two counts of home invasion, one count of assault with a deadly weapon on an officer and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle, according to a press release from Lyon County. His bail was set at $160,000.

The kidnapping is still under investigation, according to Gina Wachsmuth, a Walker River tribal vice chairwoman.

Churchill and Lyon county deputies, Fallon police and the NHP chased Cuellar for nearly two hours. He was captured with the assistance of five agencies including the Washoe County K-9 unit and the RAVEN helicopter.

"We maintained the chase all the way through," said Churchill County Sheriff Ben Trotter. "We were involved in finding him in a shed."

Cuellar was arrested near a residence on Silver Way. The suspect evaded authorities for about 30 minutes on foot after about 90 minutes on the road.

The chase started when Cuellar allegedly kidnapped an unidentified woman from Las Vegas, according to Wachsmuth. Walker River Tribal Police received a call about the alleged abduction and stopped Cuellar on U.S. Highway 95 between Schurz and Fallon.

Tribal police were able to remove the woman from the vehicle before the suspect sped away toward Fallon. He, along with a female passenger who may have also been held against her will, fled police and raced into Churchill County at speeds reaching 80 mph, according to the Lyon County Sheriff's Department.

The passenger's name was not disclosed.

This was the second high-speed chase in Fallon since June.

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