A Washington County District Court judge dismisses a lawsuit against the county and the sheriff's department in a wrongful death case involving a fatal pursuit.
District Court Judge John Samson ruled the chase was appropriate.
In November 2017, a Washington County Deputy pulled over 19-year old Jackson Potadle for speeding.
A few minutes later, another deputy smelled marijuana, and they planned to search the car.
But, the Fort Calhoun resident sped away, starting a short chase with speeds up to 90-miles-per-hour.
Two miles down a county road, Potadle lost control of his car which hit a tree.
His mother argued that because law enforcement knew who he was and where he lived, they shouldn’t have started a pursuit over a minor offense.
But, the judge ruled that deputies had “sufficient justification” to pursue and appropriately weighed the risks of doing so. that the teenager’s conduct that night was “reckless and negligent;”
The judge quoted one of the attorneys, “There is no tragedy in life like the death of a child. Things never get back to the way they were.”
Then adding his own words, “The law is clear that sympathy cannot be allowed to influence a verdict, only evidence."
Potadle's mother tells 6 News she hopes by shining a spotlight on this case it would give others pause when considering chasing a suspect for a minor incident.