Forger arrested after high speed chase

A South Dakota man faces a barrage of felony and misdemeanor charges after a high-speed chase near Moorcroft on Thursday, which led to the alleged discovery of controlled substances and forgery devices in his vehicle.

On February 17 at around 8 a.m., a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper responded to a vehicle pursuit near milepost 118 on I-90 eastbound. The trooper was in Moorcroft at the time the pursuit began and headed west to reach the location, looking for a bridge deck where he could set spikes for the fleeing vehicle.

Before he found one, the trooper reports seeing the emergency lights of the primary pursuit unit approaching from the west. He made a U-turn and began traveling westbound. A short time later, the fleeing vehicle passed him near milepost 138 and the trooper became the primary unit in the pursuit.

“As I followed the vehicle, it was traveling at speeds between 120 and 126 mph and was weaving all over the road,” reports the trooper.

Near milepost 152, another patrol unit deployed spikes, which flattened the driver’s side tires of the suspect vehicle. A short distance later, a Moorcroft Police Department unit also deployed spikes.

About a mile down the road, reports the trooper, the suspect vehicle began to slow down. As it neared milepost 153, it crossed the median and entered the westbound lane of travel.

The unit behind the trooper passed him, caught up to the suspect vehicle and performed a “tactical vehicular intervention” on the suspect vehicle, bringing it to a stop.

As the trooper came to a stop, the suspect exited the vehicle. The trooper who performed the tactical intervention began attempting to arrest the suspect, who allegedly, “actively resisted arrest, verbally protesting and attempting to pull away.”

The suspect was, however, subdued and placed under arrest. He was searched and placed in the trooper’s vehicle and then identified as Joseph May, with multiple felony warrants out of South Dakota and a suspended driver’s license.

The search of May’s person and vehicle meanwhile allegedly turned up two meth pipes, some suspected marijuana and a THC vape cartridge. According to the trooper, May claimed the damage on his vehicle had occurred when he hit a guardrail before the pursuit started and admitted he did not have insurance for his vehicle.

This was confirmed by a trooper in Buffalo, who investigated the area where the crash occurred and found a spot where the vehicle appeared to have bounced off the guardrail.

At the hospital in Sundance, May agreed to a blood draw. He was then booked into the jail, at which time it was discovered he had prior convictions for DUI and possession.

“Also found in the suspect vehicle was a black organizer bag which contained books of checks which apparently were being used for forgery,” states the trooper in his report.

The bag also allegedly contained a stamping device bearing a different name to the suspect and an ID card belonging to that person, as well as a passport and four credit cards that did not belong to May. The trooper was able to contact the passport’s owner, who stated it had been stolen from her mailbox. He was also able to contact one of the businesses that the checks belonged to, who said they had been stolen from the business mailbox and that he had recently become aware of fraudulent activity involving them.

May has been charged with two felony counts of possession of marijuana, third or subsequent offense, with four known prior convictions in South Dakota. He has also been charged with felony counts of possession of forgery devices.

May faces misdemeanor charges including driving while under the influence (third offense, with two known convictions in South Dakota), fleeing or attempting to elude, interfering with a peace officer, driving without a license, reckless driving, operation of a vehicle without liability insurance, driving across the median and speeding.