Santa Cruz Man Arrested With Mom's Body In SUV
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Authorities have identified a California woman whose body was found in an SUV stopped after a high-speed chase in South Dakota as the mother of the driver.
Attorney General Marty Jackley's office said Thursday the body of 58-year-old Michelle Walsh was found in the rear of the vehicle after a chase with her son, 30-year-old Tosten Walsh Lommen, of Santa Cruz.
Lommen faces charges including aggravated eluding and drunken driving.
Jackley says South Dakota authorities are working with California officials on the death investigation. Autopsy results are pending.
Lommen was allegedly speeding on eastbound Interstate Highway 90 in Lawrence County around 11:55 a.m. Monday when a South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper tried to make a traffic stop in the Spearfish area.
Lommen continued driving east at speeds of up to 118 mph before law enforcement officers eventually used a spike strip to disable his vehicle. He tried to flee on foot but was apprehended.
The pursuit went all the way to Rapid City, which is more than 45 miles away from Spearfish.
