Stanton Jury Finds Man Guilty After Multi-County Pursuit

A Stanton County jury of nine women and three men found Tyler Kocian guilty on four counts Tuesday afternoon.

The decision was delivered just after 1 p.m. following a day and a half trial.

The case involved a high speed vehicle pursuit through eight counties last February. The pursuit began in Holt County after Kocian — formerly of West Point — was suspected of stealing liquor from a store.

He failed to stop for law enforcement as he continued east and went around stop sticks in Norfolk and entered Stanton County on Highway 275, where he again failed to stop for activated emergency lights and ultimately struck a Stanton County Sheriff’s unit forcing it to spin out causing more than $7,800 in damage to the patrol unit.

Kocian continued to be pursued by the Stanton County Sheriff’s office and a Madison County Sheriff’s unit into Cuming County, where spikes were successfully deployed by the West Point Police Department.

Kocian continued to flee on deflated tires on Highway 275 and then Highway 91 into Blair, where he was stopped and taken into custody by the Stanton County Sheriff’s office and has been in custody since.

Kocian faces up to 50 plus years in prison on the convicted felony charges of Use of a Weapon to Commit a Felony, Criminal Mischief and Operating a Motor Vehicle to Avoid Arrest and a misdemeanor charge of Willful Reckless Driving.

​“This was a lengthy and very dangerous pursuit that put a lot of people at risk including my deputy trying to do his job and we really appreciate the assistance of the Madison County Sheriff’s office and West Point P.D.,” Sheriff Mike Unger said. “It was unfortunate our request for assistance from other law enforcement agencies during the course of the pursuit were not granted.”