In an update to our previous reports, Clarinda Police Cheif Keith Brothers said today (Tuesday), that shorty after 1:50-p.m. Monday, January 20th, the Clarinda Academy reported to authorities that two male students had absconded from the facility on foot. At 2:35-p.m., Doug Higgins reported that his red, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu had been stolen from Higgins’s driveway at 317 West Chestnut. At 2:37-p.m., Clarinda Police saw the stolen vehicle in the area of Cardinal Drive & State Street, with the driver and passenger matching the description of the Clarinda Academy Students.

Officers attempted to stop the car, but it proceeded westbound on State Highway 2. A pursuit ensued, with speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour. The driver of the vehicle – later identified by the State Patrol as 16-year old Isaiah Mikah Fontana, of Clarinda – lost control in the area of Sate Highway 2 and F Avenue. The car rolled several times before coming to rest. Fontana, and his passenger, 16-year old Chris Nathaniel Sullivan, also of Clarinda, exited the car and fled on foot into an adjacent field. After a short pursuit, the two Clarinda Academy students were apprehended by officers and deputies of the Shenandoah Police Department, Page County Sheriff’s Department and Clarinda Police Department. The teens suffered only minor injuries from the vehicle roll over, and were transported to the Clarinda Regional Health Center by Clarinda Emergency Medical Services.

Both teens face charges that include Felony – motor vehicle theft.  Fontana was also charged with felony eluding of a law enforcement vehicle, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign and speed of 130 mph in a 55-mph zone and operating a vehicle without a driver’s license. Both students were returned to the custody of the Clarinda Academy where they are court ordered to reside from the State of Tennessee.

Higgins’ vehicle was a total loss, with an estimated value of $22,000. All reports will be forwarded to the office of Page County Attorney Carl Sonksen and Juvenile Court Services for review and decisions regarding the filing of formal charges.