A 43-year-old Star man who ran away ran away from a traffic crash early Saturday morning in the Linder/Ustick roads neighborhood at the conclusion of a brief vehicle pursuit is now in custody in Gem County – after he stole another car and led several other law enforcement agencies on another pursuit Saturday afternoon.
Deputies arrested Jeremy Mattson at the end of a pursuit that began in Middleton and went to Interstate 84 before he finally stopped at a remote area in Gem County.
Earlier in the day, Mattson was the passenger in a truck driven by Scott Buss, who will be charged with a felony counts of eluding arrest, unlawful entry, and other charges in connection with the truck crash in Meridian.
The first incident began around 5:30 a.m. Saturday when ACSO deputies got information Mattson was at a home in Star where he wasn’t supposed to be in connection with the felony domestic battery case from earlier this year.
While deputies were on their way to the home, Mattson and Buss got into a red Dodge pickup truck and left. A Meridian Police officer saw the truck a short time later and attempted a traffic stop. The truck then took off at high rate of speed ,exceeding 100 mph, as it went down Idaho 44.
Meridian Police quickly called off the pursuit for public safety reasons, but police and ACSO deputies in the area continued to look for the truck. An ACSO deputy put spike strips out on the road near the Chinden Blvd./ Linder Road intersection. Buss drove the truck over the spikes but kept driving south on Linder despite the damage to the tires.
Buss eventually crashed the truck into a brick wall near the entrance of a neighborhood on Ustick Road near N. Greenfield Way. At that point, Buss and Mattson got out and ran away. Buss ran to a nearby home and tried to get in but was turned back by the homeowner.
By that time ACSO deputies and Meridian Police arrived and told Buss to surrender. Buss continued to resist until a Meridian K9 police dog incapacitated him. Buss was then taken to a hospital for treatment and was admitted for what turned out to be a medical condition unrelated to Saturday’s incident.
Mattson disappeared into the neighborhood. Deputies and police did an extensive area search but were unable to find him.
It appears Mattson was able to get back to Star, where he stole a car. That’s when he was seen driving in Middleton.
Middleton Police, Canyon County Sheriff’s deputies, Idaho State Police, and Meridian Police were involved in the second pursuit. When that ended, Mattson resisted arrest so a K9 dog incapacitated him before he was taken into custody.
Mattson currently has active arrest warrants for felony domestic battery and failure to appear in court in connection with a different vehicle pursuit.
Mattson is charged with felony eluding in connection with an incident on Feb. 25 where he led Eagle Police on a pursuit that ended when he abandoned his car in the Eagle Road/E. Ranch Drive area and hid in that neighborhood to avoid arrest. Police found and arrested him several hours later.
Deputies booked Mattson into the jail on Feb. 26 but he was released after posting a $50,000 bond on March 2. Mattson did not show up for his preliminary hearing for that case on March 12, so an arrest warrant was issued for him at that time for missing court.