Police drone finds truck that sped away crashed in backyard

CASPER, Wyo. — A speeding pickup truck ended up in a backyard wedged between a tree and a fence after passing by a marked Casper Police Department patrol unit at an estimated 100 mph last Friday night, according to an affidavit.

The driver is charged with a third-in-10-years DUI, interference, eluding and felony property destruction for allegedly damaging a chimney and patio furniture while off-road driving around townhouses on Odell Place.

The speeding Dodge Ram went past the patrol unit parked at Ivy Street and East 12th Street, near Kelly Walsh High School, around 11:39 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, the report said.

After calling off the brief pursuit in the interest of public safety, the officer deployed a drone that identified the heat signature of the suspect vehicle in the backyard of a townhouse on Odell Place. The male driver was allegedly seen moving from the driver’s seat and fleeing out the passenger door. The suspect was soon spotted trying to get over a fence, at which point the officer tackled him, the report said.

The driver, later identified as 27-year-old Isaac Daniel Lee, allegedly told the officer his name was “Daniel Leaf.” He also claimed a woman had picked him up from the bar and had been driving. The officer found no indication of another person. The man reportedly admitted to having five drinks total that night.

Sections of a fence had to be removed in order for the tow truck to get the Ram out of the yard, according to the report.

Lee was given a $40,000 cash or surety bond at his initial appearance in circuit court on Monday. He is also charged with having no insurance and driving without a required interlock device due to previous DUI convictions.

He is presumed innocent unless proven or pleading guilty.