A 26-year-old homeless Salem man has been arrested following a high-speed chase by Centralia Police in a car stolen Christmas Eve from Salem.
Edward Kinney was taken into custody early Tuesday night when a Clinton County Sheriff’s Deputy used stop sticks near Germantown causing the car to run off the road into a field. He was arrested following a short foot chase.
Centralia Police say the chase began after police were investigating another stolen car and several vehicle burglaries near Arizona Joes. The newly stolen car was taken a short distance from where Kinney is believed to have left the vehicle for the one stolen in Salem. After determining the car was stolen, police attempted to stop Kinney who fled west on Route 161 into Clinton County at speeds topping 100 miles per hour.
The car was returned to the Salem Police Department for processing. Salem Police report several items taken in other recent car burglaries in Salem were found in the vehicle. Kinney was initially arrested for theft of the vehicle, with other charges pending further investigation.
The Christmas night chase began around five pm.
Police now believe Kinney has been involved in four vehicle thefts beginning last weekend. He was released after his first arrest on December 17th when he was found in a vehicle taken from Salem but not yet reported. The following night Kinney was arrested again inside another stolen vehicle. He was charged with that burglary, but released under the new pre-trial release law.
